Interactive Minds
Life-span Perspectives on the Social Foundation of Cognition

Interactive Minds harnesses both research and theory from several disciplines to study cognitive development in the social context of the life course.

Paul B. Baltes (Edited by), Ursula M. Staudinger (Edited by)

9780521485678, Cambridge University Press

Paperback, published 26 April 1996

472 pages, 20 b/w illus. 11 tables
23.3 x 15.5 x 2.3 cm, 0.647 kg

"The strength of the book is the diversity of views presented....of value to knowledgeable readers with interests in either life-span development or the social construction of knowledge. Recommended...." Choice

Various theoretical models in psychology have emphasized the social foundation of the mind and the role that social interactions play in human development. Interactive minds emphasizes social transaction and communication between minds without implying particular mechanisms and outcomes. For instance, not all products of interacting minds are positive. Interactive Minds also takes a life-span perspective, which is especially suited for understanding interactive dynamics of behaviour and human development. Experts from a variety of fields address such issues as biological aspects of cooperation, the role of social interaction in learning, the conceptualization of linguistic knowledge, and peer problem solving. In a concluding Epilogue, implications are presented for various fields, including education, developmental and cognitive psychology, and cultural anthropology.

Part I. General Theoretical Framework: 1. The evolution of cooperation: within and between generations Peter Hammerstein
2. Interacting minds in a lifespan perspective: a cultural-historical approach to culture and cognitive development Michael Cole
3. Essentially Social: on the origin of linguistic knowledge in the individual Wolfgang Klein
4. Knowledge and the construction of women's development Gisela Labouvie-Vief
Part II. Interactive Minds: 5. Peer interactive minds: development, theoretical, and methodological issues Margarita Azmitia
6. Collaborative rules: how are people supposed to work with one another Jacqueline Goodnow
7. The lifelong transformation of moral goals through social influence Damon William
8. Adults Telling and retelling stories collaboratively Roger A. Dixon
9. Planning about life: towards a social-interactive paradigm Jacqui Smith
10. Wisdom and the social-interactive foundation of the mind Ursula Staudinger
Part III. Interactive Minds: Perspecxtives from Cognitive and Educational Psychology: 11. Rationality: Why Social Context Matters Gerd Gigerenzer
12. Styles of thinking Robert J. Sternberg
13. Cooperative construction of expert knowledge: the case of knowledge engineering Gerhard Strube
14. Communities of practice towards expertise: social foundation of university instruction Heinz Mandl
Epilogue: reflections and future perspectives
15. Cognitive pychology Peter Graf
16. Developmental psychology Laura Carstensen
17. Educational psychology Franz Weinert
18. Cognitive and cultural anthropology Richard Shweder.

Subject Areas: Child & developmental psychology [JMC]