The capacity for shared attention is a cornerstone of human social intelligence. Recent accounts attribute the emergence of shared attention to multiple cognitive mechanisms. Current behavioral data support an alternative dynamic systems model, but many questions remain. To answer these questions and test alternative theories, robotic models will play a critical role. Robotic models reduce the scope of the modeling task, permit comparison of empirically supported theories, and encourage parsimonious models of complex behaviors. Current efforts to model the emergence of shared attention are described. 1.

cognitive science: Integrative approaches to learning and development, Neurocomputing, doi:10.1016/j.neucom.2006.06.008 This is a PDF file of an unedited manuscript that has been accepted for publication. As a service to our customers we are providing this early version of the manuscript. The manuscript will undergo copyediting, typesetting, and review of the resulting galley proof before it is published in its final citable form. Please note that during the production process errors may be discovered which could affect the content, and all legal disclaimers that apply to the journal pertain.

The capacity for shared attention is a cornerstone of human social intelligence. Recent accounts attribute the emergence of shared attention to multiple cognitive mechanisms. Current behavioral data support an alternative dynamic systems model, but many questions remain. To answer these questions and test alternative theories, robotic models will play a critical role. Robotic models reduce the scope of the modeling task, permit comparison of empirically supported theories, and encourage parsimonious models of complex behaviors. Current efforts to model the emergence of shared attention are described.

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To investigate how young children learn categorical semantic relations between words, 4- to 7-year-olds were taught four labels for novel categories in an “alien ” microworld. After two play sessions, where each label was given, with defining information, at least 20 times, comprehension and production were tested. Results of two experiments show that 6-7-yearolds learned more words and correct semantic relations than 4-5-year-olds. The exclusion relation between contrasting category labels was easy to learn, and some findings suggested that hierarchical words are more easily learned than overlapping ones. Both studies showed no advantage to explicitly telling children semantic relations between words (e.g., “All fegs are wuddles.”). The results qualify a common assumption that preschool children have precocious abilities

Education in every form entails the acquisition and modification of conventional categories and labels, as well as processes for inferring category membership. Consider these statements: ‘‘Fractions are numbers between two integers’’; ‘‘Plants get energy through photosynthesis’’; and ‘‘A noun is a person, place, or thing.’ ’ The first claims a formal relation between well-defined number concepts. The second explains a biological concept by analogy. The third specifies (erroneously) a linguistic category. Teachers frequently make statements like these to elementary and secondary students. How, in fact, are the named concepts learned? How do concepts change with age, experience, and particularly education? Form and Format of Conceptual Knowledge