ABSTRACT
Developmental theory attempts to explain the developmental changes in terms of a specific form of equilibration based on the processes of assimilation and accommodation. The goals of developmental theory and research are twofold. One specific goal in writing this commentary is to clarify the evidence necessary for claiming innate capacity. A second goal is to illustrate the strengths and limitations of models of brain development as well as formal models of behavior for explaining human development. Newcombe presents empirical evidence that she claims challenges an innate perspective on a geometric module. Thelen and Whitmyer offer a qualitative comparison of their model to other models or explanations for habituation or object search. One of the most interesting findings is that the model offers an explanation for why infants with little exposure to a stimulus tend to prefer the familiar to the novel test stimulus.
