Constraining constructivism: Cortical and sub-cortical constraints on learning in development

It is becoming increasingly clear that acquiring cognitive skills is feasib le only with significant developmental constraints. However, recent researc h provides the strongest evidence to date for constructivist development. H ere, we examine how these two apparently conflicting perspectives may be re conciled. Specifically, we suggest that subcortical and cortical structures possess divergent developmental strategies, with many subcortical structur es satisfying Fodor's criteria for modularity. These structures constitute an early, behavioral system that guides the construction of later emerging cortical structures, for which there is little evidence for modularity. Thu s, we focus on how the dynamic time course of development itself implicitly , constrains the emergence of cortical representations, reducing the requir ement for built-in encodings of knowledge in cortical circuits, as on the t raditional nativist conception.