Development of the Mind and Brain Book:
Cognitive constructions and their reorganizations

The book — Development of the Mind and Brain — is about three ideas which draw heavily on Jean Piaget’s studies of children’s cognitive development.

Jump to: Contents | Overview | Part I | Part II | Appendices | References

Myelination and Cognitive Reorganizations

Maturation of the peripheral sensory systems assists, possibly induces, transition to two of Jean Piaget’s stages of cognitive development. The first eight chapters — Part I: Toward an organic explanation of conscious cognitive development — address the first and as well as the second idea.

Part I: Read Online | Free Download (inc. References)

Contruction of Consciousness                                                 

In the developing child, once cognition during sleep is differentiated from cognition during waking, activation of the cerebral cortex by the reticular activating system of the brain is the nucleus for construction of consciousness.

Part I: Read Online | Free Download (inc. References)

Character Formation and Treatment

Three types of children’s cognition that characterize three of Piaget’s cognitive stages correspond to the kinds of social cognition that characterize three character types found in adolescents and adults. Statistical studies confirm that the style of caretaking that is experienced by children during Piaget’s Concrete Operational Period (age 8-11) predicts the three character types. Chapter 9 to 11 and the Appendices — Part II: Character structure and treatment--address the third idea, including empirical confirmation of the idea.

Part II: Read Online or Free Download (inc. References)

Revisions

In this revised version of Development of the Mind and Brain, Chapter 4 has been rewritten in the hopes of clarifying my view of how it is possible to construct consciousness from matter, that is, from the brain. The empirical studies formerly in Chapter 9 constitute chapter 10. The content of the Treatment link is now Chapter 11. I eliminated the Treatment link because, if Mary Ahern’s and my treatment recommendations are read before understanding Cognitive-Motivational Structure (CMS) theory, the reader might fail to see that our treatment approaches and goals follow directly from our theory. Chapter 9 provides a digest of CMS theory. For a more extended understanding of application of CMS theory to treatment see our earlier book, Psychotherapy and Character Structure: How to Recognize and Treat Particular Character Types.