ABSTRACT
Before speculating further upon this point, however, we must consider an intriguing empiricist argument about the origins of high-level domainspecific circuits (and even discrete areas of neural tissue) dedicated to processing only some kinds of information. Its most explicit form is often discussed in reference to face perception. Here, a “low-level perceptual shunt” is thought to result in higher levels of domain specificity. Moreover, it is proposed that there exists only a low-level perceptual specialisation at birth, which becomes more developed over time and with experience (an example is discussed in detail later). Such accounts are in accord with what some have argued to be the new “enlightened empiricism” (Cowie, 1999). It is useful, therefore, to consider in some detail how this case might be extended to conceptual domains. Ultimately, we want to ask if it is possible empirically to distinguish such enlightened empiricist hypotheses from nativist ones.
