2024 the best scientist in the world review

Price: $16.99 - $13.59
(as of Dec 02, 2024 05:34:09 UTC - Details)

This exciting book by three pioneers in the new field of cognitive science discusses important discoveries about how much babies and young children know and learn, and how much parents naturally teach them. It argues that evolution designed us both to teach and learn, and that the drive to learn is our most important instinct. It also reveals as fascinating insights about our adult capacities and how even young children -- as well as adults -- use some of the same methods that allow scientists to learn so much about the world. Filled with surprise at every turn, this vivid, lucid, and often funny book gives us a new view of the inner life of children and the mysteries of the mind.

ASIN ‏ : ‎ 0688177883
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Mariner Books; Reprint edition (December 26, 2000)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 304 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 9780688177881
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0688177881
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 8 ounces
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.31 x 0.68 x 8 inches
Reviewer: Kindle Customer
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: A Great Intro to Baby's Developmental Psychology
Review: As the father of a nine month old boy, I have been enthralled with this book. It is not a "how to" book on helping your child learn, but rather is a readable introduction to the current state of the study of cognitive development of babies. If you don't believe that it is possible to know what a baby is thinking, you will be fascinated at the clever experiments that have been constructed to tease out information from a baby's brain. It is surprising who much we can find out about how babies' brains work, and how much that can teach us about the adult human brain.The tone of the book is chatty, but the content is substantial. The authors discuss the philosophers as well as the scientists who are working in this area. I don't suppose that the average new parent is interested in wading into Chomsky, Ryle or Descartes, but this book actually makes it interesting and compelling.The book is broken down into the acquisition of particular mental skills. The authors thesis is that babies learn using, more or less, the scientific method, forming hypotheses and then testing them emperically. (The title of the book is a clever word play, referring to this theory, while simultaneously demonstrating what adult scientists are learning from their empirical studies.) While this may seem pretensious, the authors actually make a pretty good case for this theory.The acquisition of language deviates somewhat from this general theoretical method, but the authors have some fascinating experimental data to illustrate the way babies actually learn language.In short, this book is highly recommended, not just to new parents, but also to anyone interested in childhood cognitive development or what can be known about the workings of the human brain.

Reviewer: ALMK
Rating: 4.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Good science at the layperson's level
Review: Several chapters of this book were required reading in a cognitive development class I took as a PhD student. I ended up reading the rest of the book while I was pregnant a year later. I love the authors, as I feel they write well and are some of the leaders in their field. The book is a little repetitive, but their style keeps it from sounding like a textbook, and conveys the wonder and appreciation the researchers have for their work.Several people gave this book one star, complaining essentially that it wasn't a how-to book to tell them how to make their babies smarter. Besides the obvious advice of paying attention to your children and reading them a book now and then, what this research shows is that what we do as parents has been wired into us for the maximal development of our children. There aren't any books out there that you can read which give you a plan for making your child smarter, and if they're telling you that, they're wrong.I feel this book establishes a good frame of reference for understanding where an infant's brain starts out in its development from a fussing ball of arms and legs to something that approximates a human adult in logic and emotion. Many people doubtless still believe that infants come into the world a blank slate, with no knowledge or strategies for learning, and the research presented in this book shows us that's just not so. I recommend this book to any of my pregnant friends who I feel might be interested in gaining a glimpse of the amazing development that's happening inside their baby's brain.

Reviewer: A Reader
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Not a How-To Guide to Parenting, and a Better Book For It
Review: If you want practical advice on child-rearing, check out Penelope Leach or Dr. Mom. But if you're interested in reading about the latest research in the mental development of infants, this book is absolutely wonderful. It's full of surprising information about how observant and analytical babies are(at less than an hour old, they mimic faces), and gives details about the structure of the experiments used to deduce such information, allowing you to decide for yourself how much weight to give it. Much of the information confirms those of us who have always suspected two day old kids are as intelligent and tuned-in as, say, the typical graduate student -- they just have fewer ways to express it, and less experience to build on. Better yet, the book is written in a thoroughly engaging and often humorous style that possibly owes something to the first named author's brother, the New Yorker writer Adam (or, more likely, both Gopniks inherited the same literary genes).But don't expect pointers on burping technique.

Reviewer: Janice Krahenbuhl
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: The Scientist in the Crib
Review: Since I read about this book in Time magazine and got a copy for myself, I have given it as a "welcoming gift" to my friends and relatives when there's a new baby. Oh, how I wish this had been available when my sons were young. They just turned 50 and 47. I'm delighted with the men they have become and have few regrets about their "upbringing." But, it would have been so much more fun and intriguing to be able to "play" with them appropriately with language and observe what they did.When I was working on a master's degree in linguistics, I was exposed to Noam Chomsky's views on the acquisition of language. It was very intriguing. I learned that the hypothesis that there is a "mother tongue" for all language, called "the hearth language" is a fallacy. It is the brain that encourages speech. Other animals have the same "structures" that we doand do not "speak."When I purchase books through AMAZON, I always look through what is available in the "used" portion of their offerings. I have not ever been disappointed with the quality of books that I find there. I enjoy the thought that I am helping small businesses succeed and get rid of inventory so they can expand their resources.Purchased through Amazon.com

Reviewer: Josh
Rating: 3.0 out of 5 stars
Title: book
Review: this product came just like described. i was very satisfied with the speed which i received this item. i recommend this to anyone.

Reviewer: Gabriel V.
Rating: 3.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: I love all child development related research and im constantly looking for more knowledge on how the brain, the senses, emotions and the body works in babies and toddlers. So this books looked very promising. But it is a bit boring if you are looking for a more insight book. This is at best a 2 day, "nothing else to read" kind of book.

Reviewer: di.ana
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: I bought this book for my friend, a new dad. The book was perfect for explaining development in an accessible way. He really liked the explanations and the simple developmental tests he could try at home as his baby grew.

Reviewer: Paola
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: Love all the anecdotes that exemplify the different stages of development. I recommend this book to any new or soon to be new parent.

Reviewer: Franco
Rating: 3.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: Copertina leggermente danneggiata

Reviewer: Vishnu
Rating: 1.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: The quality of book was so bad. It was delivered in very bad condition...