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Learning in and about opaque worlds

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  08 June 2015

Denis Tatone
Affiliation:
Cognitive Development Center, Department of Cognitive Science, Central European University, Budapest 1051, Hungary. [email protected]@ceu.huhttp://www.babakutato.hu/lab-members/denis-tatonehttp://cognitivescience.ceu.edu/people/gergely-csibra
Gergely Csibra
Affiliation:
Cognitive Development Center, Department of Cognitive Science, Central European University, Budapest 1051, Hungary. [email protected]@ceu.huhttp://www.babakutato.hu/lab-members/denis-tatonehttp://cognitivescience.ceu.edu/people/gergely-csibra

Abstract

We argue that direct active teaching in humans exhibits at least two properties (open-endedness and content opacity) that make the recognition of teaching episodes without ostension untenable. Thus, while we welcome Kline's functional approach to the analysis of teaching, we think that she ignores important features of the socio-environmental niche in which human teaching likely evolved.

Type
Open Peer Commentary
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2015 

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