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Computational cognitive epigenetics

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  17 December 2007

Aaron Sloman  and
Jackie Chappell
Aaron Sloman
Affiliation:
School of Computer Science, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, West Midlands B15 2TT, United Kingdom; [email protected]
Jackie Chappell
Affiliation:
School of Biosciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, West Midlands B15 2TT, United Kingdom. http://www.cs.bham.ac.uk/~axs/[email protected]://www.biosciences.bham.ac.uk/staff/staff.htm?ID=90
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Abstract

Jablonka & Lamb (J&L) refer only implicitly to aspects of cognitive competence that preceded both evolution of human language and language learning in children. These aspects are important for evolution and development but need to be understood using the design-stance, which the book adopts only for molecular and genetic processes, not for behavioural and symbolic processes. Design-based analyses reveal more routes from genome to behaviour than J&L seem to have considered. This both points to gaps in our understanding of evolution and epigenetic processes and may lead to possible ways of filling the gaps.

Type
Open Peer Commentary
Information
Behavioral and Brain Sciences , Volume 30 , Issue 4 , August 2007 , pp. 375 - 376
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2007

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