Emergent Constructivism: Theoretical and Methodological Considerations

Abstract

Nativist and empiricist approaches require foundationalism because they cannot account for the emergence of representation. Foundationalism is the assumption of an innate representational base. In turn, foundationalism places limits on the nature of learning as a constructivist process. In contrast, action-based approaches can account for the emergence of representation through (inter)action. In so doing, action-based approaches can pursue an emergent constructivism for learning and development. Despite the theoretical symmetry between nativism and empiricism with respect to foundationalism, there is an asymmetry in nativist and empiricist research programs. Nativism generally ignores constructivist complexity with rich interpretations that non-nativist approaches assume needs to be investigated empirically. Importantly, the problem of a priori assumptions driving rich interpretations is not specific to nativism or looking methodologies. Mindreading as a research program also engages in rich interpretations for studies that concern social-cognition from infancy through preschool. To the extent that empiricist research programs incorporate constructivist thinking into research, they converge with action-based approaches. This creates a sort of methodological bridge between lean-empiricist research programs and action-based approaches. However, this bridge has limitations that we illustrate through an example concerning maternal mental-state discourse and theory of mind development.

Foundations of Constructivism Philosophy in Classroom Learning

“…Furthermore, constructivism is a philosophy of knowledge that emphasizes knowledge obtained based on one's construction or formation (Allen & Bickhard, 2022). In other words, I argue that learning according to constructivism theory is that children build their knowledge, not the teachers who feed them.…”

The Future of Constructivist Education

“…This has implications not only at the methodological level but also impacts assumptions about part-whole relations. Holism embraces the emergence of new forms and patterns in systems that arise spontaneously through activities, rather than relations among component elements of a given system (Allen & Bickhard, 2022;Witherington & Lickliter, 2017). Budwig et al (2017) adopt a holistic approach to examining cognitive, social, and communicative development holistically, arguing that the way these areas are linked is complex.…”

Conceptual Commitments of Constructivism in an Age when Truth Matters

“…Taking a life course perspective that considers development as an ongoing process of change until death, Zittoun (this issue) focuses on life's naturally occurring "ruptures" and disturbances, and how they induce disequilibration and provoke new action and understanding. Allen and Bickhard (2022) (this issue) present "emergent constructivism" as a foil against the foundationalism inherent to nativist and empiricist approaches to representation. Arguing that action-based models are intrinsically models of active minds, they propose that a central function of organisms is to anticipate the interactions that might be available in the environment, including anticipations that may be incorrect.…”

“…The second constructivist principle, normativity, is explicitly thematized in several contributions and its importance implicitly acknowledged in others. Allen and Bickhard (2022) (this issue) address the issue at the most philosophic level, arguing that the anticipatory function inherent to agency is a "core intuition" of the emergence of representational truth value. Anticipations model truth value, and truth value is a form of normativity.…”

“…In advocating for a sociocultural perspective, particularly in light of its premise that development is an open, dynamic system, Zittoun (2022) (this issue) explores human and social development across three time-scales: the sociogenetic concerns transformation of the sociocultural environment; the microgenetic is the location of changes occurring in specific situations; and the ontogenetic concerns the development of individuals over time. Historicity is also central to Allen and Bickhard's (2022) emergent constructivism (this issue) and its emphasis on qualitative change through (inter) action. Focusing on theoretical and methodological shortcomings of mentalistic approaches to social cognition, they argue that the meanings of acts are constituted in shared histories of interactions -not mindreadingand that over time interactions may become shared practices.…”