Scott Johnson – författare

Arguments over the developmental origins of human knowledge are ancient, founded in the writings of Plato, Aristotle, Descartes, Hume, and Kant. They have also persisted long enough to become a core area of inquiry in cognitive and developmental science. Empirical contributions to these debates, however, appeared only in the last century, when Jean Piaget offered the first viable theory of knowledge acquisition that centered on the great themes discussed by Kant: object, space, time, and causality. The essence of Piaget's theory is constructivism: The building of concepts from simpler perceptual and cognitive precursors, in particular from experience gained through manual behaviors and observation.The constructivist view was disputed by a generation of researchers dedicated to the idea of the "competent infant," endowed with knowledge (say, of permanent objects) that emerged prior to facile manual behaviors. Taking this possibility further, it has been proposed that many fundamental cognitive mechanisms -- reasoning, event prediction, decision-making, hypothesis testing, and deduction -- operate independently of all experience, and are, in this sense, innate. The competent-infant view has an intuitive appeal, attested to by its widespread popularity, and it enjoys a kind of parsimony: It avoids the supposed philosophical pitfall posed by having to account for novel forms of knowledge in inductive learners. But this view leaves unaddressed a vital challenge: to understand the mechanisms by which new knowledge arises.This challenge has now been met. The neoconstructivist approach is rooted in Piaget's constructivist emphasis on developmental mechanisms, yet also reflects modern advances in our understanding of learning mechanisms, cortical development, and modeling. This book brings together, for the first time, theoretical views that embrace computational models and developmental neurobiology, and emphasize the interplay of time, experience, and cortical architecture to explain emergent knowledge, with an empirical line of research identifying a set of general-purpose sensory, perceptual, and learning mechanisms that guide knowledge acquisition across different domains and through development.

The Oxford Handbook of Late Antiquity offers an innovative overview of a period (c. 300-700 CE) that has become increasingly central to scholarly debates over the history of western and Middle Eastern civilizations. This volume covers such pivotal events as the fall of Rome, the rise of Christianity, the origins of Islam, and the early formation of Byzantium and the European Middle Ages. These events are set in the context of widespread literary, artistic, cultural, and religious change during the period. The geographical scope of this handbook is unparalleled among comparable surveys of Late Antiquity; Arabia, Egypt, Central Asia, and the Balkans all receive dedicated treatments, while the scope extends to the western kingdoms, Ireland, and Scandinavia in the West. Furthemore, from economic theory and slavery to Greek and Latin poetry, Syriac and Coptic literature, sites of religious devotion, and many others, this handbook covers a wide range of topics that will appeal to scholars from a diverse array of disciplines. The Oxford Handbook of Late Antiquity engages the perennially valuable questions about the end of the ancient world and the beginning of the medieval, while providing a much-needed touchstone for the study of Late Antiquity itself.

Interactions between plants and herbivores can have a significant effect on plant growth and development, and ultimately, on a plant's economic value. Research has traditionally focused on aboveground herbivores, despite the considerable role that belowground herbivory by both vertebrates and invertebrates can play within a range of ecosystem processes. Root feeders have been classified as agricultural pests but can also be used as biological control agents against invasive species and can affect community dynamics of plants, soil micro-organisms and populations of aboveground organisms. Bringing together a broad range of viewpoints and approaches, Root Feeders presents a comprehensive review of knowledge on root herbivores and illustrates their importance within ecosystems. Chapters discuss problems of visualizing the organisms in the soil, their role in agriculture, grassland and forest ecosystems, and present specific case studies on the management, control and influence of root feeders. Covering all aspects from food web ecology to the effects of climate change, this will be valuable reading for researchers and professionals in agricultural entomology, plant science, ecology and soil science.

Tectonics of Place II: The Architecture of Johnson Fain chronicles the architectural and interior design work of a preeminent international design practice based in Southern California. The firm, well-known for landmark projects throughout the United States and abroad, eschews any singular approach or style. Addressing issues of program, client, physical context, and sustainability, Johnson Fain crafts design solutions that are strikingly modern and unique. Tall buildings both elaborate their particular programs, whether residential or work-related, while becoming icons on the urban skyline. Single family dwellings, wineries and cultural facilities set in more rural landscapes interact instinctively with nature. Museums, clubhouses, and educational campuses create a sense of cohesion and shared purpose through the design of both the buildings and the open spaces that unite them. Forward-looking science and technology centres express state-of-the-art systems while reinforcing collegiality and reflection which lies at the heart of research. Beyond the brief, the architecture of Johnson Fain is human-centred, forward looking and interactive.