ABSTRACT
Relative to adults, human infants are born with limited perceptual, motor, linguistic, and cognitive abilities. There are at least two perspectives within the field of developmental psychology regarding these limitations. The older and more popular view is that these limitations are barriers that must be overcome if a child is to achieve adult function (Piaget, 1952). That is, they are immaturities or deficiencies that serve no positive purpose. A newer view is that these apparent inadequacies are in fact helpful, and perhaps necessary, stages in development. According to this theory, limited mental abilities reflect simple neural representations, which are useful “stepping stones” or “building blocks” for the subsequent development of more complex representations (Turkewitz & Kenney, 1982).
