Cognitive Development,Culture,and ConversationComments on Harris and Koenig’s‘‘Truth in Testimony.pdf

Cognitive Development, Culture, and Conversation: Comments on Harris and Koenig’s ‘‘Truth in Testimony: How Children Learn about Science and Religion’’ Maureen A. Callanan University of California, Santa Cruz Harris and Koenig make a compelling case for the importance of adult ‘‘testimony’’ and its influence on chil- dren’s developing conceptions of topics in science and religion. This commentary considers how their analysis relates to constructivist and sociocultural theories and discusses several ways in which Harris and Koenig’s arguments help to debunk some prevalent assumptions about research on the social context of cognitive de- velopment. Finally, a number of additional issues are raised for debate and discussion, and some critiques and suggestions for future research are discussed. The issues discussed by Harris and Koenig are crucial if we are to take seriously the importance of culture in cognitive development. Harris and Koenig have provided a thought-pro- voking and compelling analysis regarding the role of adult ‘‘testimony’’ in children’s developing concep- tions of the world around them. This paper makes the important point that cognitive development does not happen in isolation, that children’s thoughts are connected in crucial ways to the language they hear around them. The focus on science and spirituali- tyFclearly contrasting categories in Western aca- demic thoughtFsets the stage for an interesting debate about the importance of culture, community, and activity in cognitive development. In this commentary I will first discuss the reasons why this argument about the role of ‘‘testimony’’ is a timely and relevant one, and I will then focus on three key points made by Harris and Koenig that I see as debunking erroneous assumptions about re- search on the social contexts of cognitive develop- ment. Finally, I will discuss four points about how this approach can be expanded further, perhaps in an even more radical direction. Why Is There a Need to A