Abstract

CASTORINA, José Antonio. Bootstrapping: A theory for conceptual change. Anu. investig. [online]. 2005, vol.12, pp.43-52. ISSN 1851-1686.

This paper examines the Carey's theory of conceptual change. First, it describes the conceptual reorganization in cognitive psychology and the author position. Second, the epistemic conditions that children "theories" should fulfil to make conceptual restructuring possible, as well as the ways adopted by the latter, are analyzed. In third place, findings of researches testing the conceptual change among biology intuitive children theories are explained. Subsequently, it discusses the difficulties other theories of conceptual change present, in order to state features of bootstrapping as an alternative mechanism and its relevance for the interpretation of abovementioned researches results. Finally, it evaluates the originality of "bootstrapping" theory in the scene of contemporary debates. It particularly outlines a possible approach to Piaget's dialectic theses.

Keywords : Bootstrapping; Conceptual change; Partial immeasurability; Bootstrapping; Placeholders; Conflicts; Dialectic.

        · abstract in Spanish     · text in Spanish     · Spanish ( pdf )