Can epigenetic theory be applied to cognitive development?
Tamara G. Halle, Philip C. Rodkin and Cheryl Ann Sexton Center for Developmental Science, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Developmentalists are increasingly employing epigenetic approaches to the study of cognition. However, some researchers may hold assumptions that depart from a genuine epigenetic perspective. We will highlight three issues that have been inconsistently addressed: a) innate competencies, b) contextual primacy, and c) the status of cognition within a holistic, developmental system. This latter point is a particular focus; we review four different ways that cognition has been conceptualized by epigenetic researchers. We suggest that these ambiguities do not reflect an inability for epigenetic approaches to incorporate cognition, but rather result from a mismatch between original tenets of epigenesis and traditional methodologies used by cognitive developmentalists. • Postmodern readings of Piaget’s genetic epistemology Gary Fireman, Texas Tech University; G
