Four chapters in the book's first section, Matters Mainly Psychological, describe empirical observations that explore how a child copes with the fact that many different name-like words can be applied to a single object.  A second major section, Matters Mainly Linguistic, contains chapters on phonology, the learning of grammatical categories, the definite and indefinite articles, and the plural. A third section, Matters Mainly Philosophical, focuses entirely on the complex issues of reference and meaning. A final chapter reflects on the implications of the book for developmental psychology.  A Bradford Book.

Names for Things

Health, Fitness & Dieting

MacNamara, John

Psychology & Counseling

Bradford Books

A Border Dispute integrates the latest work in logic and semantics into a theory of language learning and presents six worked examples of how that theory revolutionizes cognitive psychology. Macnamara's thesis is set against the background of a fresh analysis of the psychologism debate of the 19th-century, which led to the current standoff between logic and psychology. The book presents psychologism through the writings of John Stuart Mill and Immanuel Kant, and its rejection by Gottlob Frege and Edmund Husserl. It then works out the general thesis that logic ideally presents a competence theory for part of human reasoning and explains how logical intuition is grounded in properties of the mind. The next six chapters present examples that illustrate the relevance of logic to psychology. These problems are all in the semantics of child language (the learning of proper names, personal pronouns, sortals or common nouns, quantifiers, and the truth-functional connectives) and reflect Macnamara's rich background in developmental psychology, particularly child language - a field, he points out, that embraces all of cognition. Technical problems raised by but not included in the examples in the main part of the text are dealt with in a separate chapter. The book concludes by describing laws in cognitive psychology, or the type of science made possible by Macnamara's new theory. A Bradford Book.

A Border Dispute: The Place of Logic in Psychology

Politics & Social Sciences

Philosophy

In this lively book, John Macnamara shows how a number of important thinkers through the ages have approached problems of mental representation and the acquisition of knowledge. He discusses the relevance of these approaches to modern cognitive psychology, focusing on central themes that he believes have strongly influenced modern psychology. This is not a neutral historical survey, but a vehicle for Macnamara's compelling and provocative arguments on the relevance and worth of certain aspects of psychological and philosophical thought.
The historical figures discussed are quite varied―from Plato to Thomas Jefferson to Sigmund Freud―and include numerous Christian philosophers such as Augustine and Thomas Aquinas. The book assumes no previous background in the subject matter; Macnamara often simplifies abstract concepts via homespun examples (many using his beloved dog, Freddie). This is a quirky, engaging book, as well as the last work by a highly influential figure in cognitive psychology.

Through the Rearview Mirror: Historical Reflections on Psychology

Mental Health

MIT Press]

The book is concerned with the child's acquisition of names (by which is meant words that refer to objects - including proper names, common nouns in some uses, and pronouns in some uses).

Names for Things: A Study of Human Learning (Bradford Books)

Science & Math

Behavioral Sciences

John MacNamara’s timely report looks at the principles and practice of structured trade and commodity finance deals and what can go wrong. It is supported by invaluable case study material.
<ul>
<li>An authoritative guide to structured trade and commodity finance in emerging markets</li>
<li>A detailed study of the problems and opportunities presented by structured trade</li>
<li>A clear explanation of typical structures and risk mitigation techniques</li>
</ul>

Structured Trade and Commodity Finance in Emerging Markets: What Can Go Wrong and How to Avoid It

Business & Money

Economics

Woodhead Publishing

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Books by MacNamara, John