Review by Choice Review
Siegler proposes a paradigmatic shift in the field of child development, away from the study of "essences" and toward the study of change. The prevailing metaphor for development has been that of a staircase, relatively stable periods of characteristic functioning interspersed with short periods of rapid change. Research based on the staircase model was directed toward describing the essence of behavior at each stage, rather than to the variability within the individual. He suggests that a better, more accurate metaphor would be that of overlapping waves. Rather than demonstrating a single mode of thought at a particular age, the child has a variety of options, or problem solving strategies, available. Which option is chosen depends upon the child's perception of task demands, strategies needed and their novelty and ease of execution, etc. Some choices are more adaptive than others, and eventually, through a kind of Darwinian selection, some strategies become more prevalent than others. Several options are always available, and behavior is variable from one trial to another, as well as from problem to problem. Siegler describes a trial-by-trial analysis of ongoing behavior as a way to test the efficacy of his new metaphor. The results are intriguing and perhaps revolutionary--must-reading for professionals in the field of cognition. Upper-division undergraduates through professionals. K. L. Hartlep; California State University, Bakersfield
Copyright American Library Association, used with permission.
Review by Choice Review
