Book Review Cognitive Development: The Learning Brain By USHA GOSWAMI (Hove: Psychology Press, 2008) [Pp. 457.] ISBN 9781841695303.£49.95 This is the new book in the series of excellent textbooks on cognitive development written by Usha Goswami. In the past, I have used her books as essential reading for my developmental psychology undergraduate and postgraduate teaching. This new book comes with lots of new material including sections in each chapter on new developmental cognitive neuroscience research, linked to all the core areas she covers in children’s cognitive development. There are a couple of paradigm shifts in Goswami’s thinking which mark the book’s innovative slant on development. Firstly, she has embraced learning (in an educational sense) and its relationship to cognition and neuroscience; and secondly, she has integrated the science of linking mental representations with brain location and function: cognitive neuroscience. I reviewed this book as a learner as I needed to get up to date on what has been happening in educational and cognitive neuroscience. The job was made easier by the author’s concise chapter summaries and jargon- explained textboxes on each page which break down the main terminology. This will be a favourite with undergraduate readers and more advanced researchers unfamiliar with new advances in this growing field. The book also benefits from new illustrations and colour photographs. The essence of the book is the question of how we study cognitive development using experimental methods and what these last four decades of studies reveal about how children’s thinking changes over time. Each area considered is a mini-research field in itself with core studies and more recent innovations. In undertaking this massive synthesis of research, Goswami does two things: firstly, she relates the feel of the child in all of this: the enthusiasm, ingenuity and breathlessness of the young mind learning about the world; and secondly, she writes in an extremely accessible style. The chapters move through the study of the learning brain, social cognition, categorical learning, new chapters on language development and theory of mind, symbolic development, meta-representation and theoretical positions from Piaget and Vygotsky to connectionism and neuroscience. In each of these areas, there is, of course, intense debate about innate constraints versus learned behaviour. Goswami describes these differences across different sets of researchers allowing the reader to understand why particular causal explanations are offered. In addition, she often provides summaries of why follow-on studies were carried out to address methodological issues in previous research. The intention is clear: Goswami wants students and readers to be critical in their reading of research and look for alternative explanations for each set of findings. For any course that requires students to appraise research articles or methodology, this textbook would provide a good way to teach this. The book would be a great addition to reading lists for psychology, linguistics and clinical communication studies. GARY MORGAN Professor of Psychology Department of Language and Communication Science, City University London, UK e-mail: [email protected] International Journal of Language & Communication Disorders ISSN 1368-2822 print/ISSN 1460-6984 online q 2010 Royal College of Speech & Language Therapists http://www.informahealthcare.com DOI: 10.3109/13682820903211091 INT. J. LANG. COMM. DIS., MARCH – APRIL 2010, VOL. 45, NO. 2, 262

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Book Review

Cognitive Development: The Learning Brain

By USHA GOSWAMI (Hove: Psychology Press, 2008)[Pp. 457.] ISBN 9781841695303.£49.95

This is the new book in the series of excellent textbookson cognitive development written by Usha Goswami.In the past, I have used her books as essential reading formy developmental psychology undergraduate andpostgraduate teaching. This new book comes withlots of new material including sections in each chapteron new developmental cognitive neuroscience research,linked to all the core areas she covers in children’scognitive development. There are a couple of paradigmshifts in Goswami’s thinking which mark the book’sinnovative slant on development. Firstly, she hasembraced learning (in an educational sense) and itsrelationship to cognition and neuroscience; andsecondly, she has integrated the science of linkingmental representations with brain location andfunction: cognitive neuroscience.

I reviewed this book as a learner as I needed to getup to date on what has been happening in educationaland cognitive neuroscience. The job was made easier bythe author’s concise chapter summaries and jargon-explained textboxes on each page which break down themain terminology. This will be a favourite withundergraduate readers and more advanced researchersunfamiliar with new advances in this growing field. Thebook also benefits from new illustrations and colourphotographs.

The essence of the book is the question of how westudy cognitive development using experimentalmethods and what these last four decades of studies

reveal about how children’s thinking changes over time.Each area considered is a mini-research field in itselfwith core studies and more recent innovations. Inundertaking this massive synthesis of research,Goswami does two things: firstly, she relates the feelof the child in all of this: the enthusiasm, ingenuity andbreathlessness of the young mind learning about theworld; and secondly, she writes in an extremelyaccessible style.

The chapters move through the study of thelearning brain, social cognition, categorical learning,new chapters on language development and theory ofmind, symbolic development, meta-representation andtheoretical positions from Piaget and Vygotsky toconnectionism and neuroscience. In each of these areas,there is, of course, intense debate about innateconstraints versus learned behaviour. Goswamidescribes these differences across different sets ofresearchers allowing the reader to understand whyparticular causal explanations are offered. In addition,she often provides summaries of why follow-on studieswere carried out to address methodological issues inprevious research. The intention is clear: Goswamiwants students and readers to be critical in their readingof research and look for alternative explanations foreach set of findings. For any course that requiresstudents to appraise research articles or methodology,this textbook would provide a good way to teach this.

The book would be a great addition to reading listsfor psychology, linguistics and clinical communicationstudies.

GARY MORGAN

Professor of PsychologyDepartment of Language and Communication Science,

City University London, UKe-mail: [email protected]

International Journal of Language & Communication DisordersISSN 1368-2822 print/ISSN 1460-6984 online q 2010 Royal College of Speech & Language Therapists

http://www.informahealthcare.com

DOI: 10.3109/13682820903211091

INT. J. LANG. COMM. DIS., MARCH–APRIL 2010,VOL. 45, NO. 2, 262