Global and Functional: Mandler's Perceptual and Conceptual Processes in Infancy

Mandler's distinction between perceptual categorization and conceptual categorization in infancy provides an important reconciliation of the conflicting data and contributes to our theoretical understanding of the development of thought in the early years of life. It is argued, however, that subsequent processes during the word learning period that follows reflect functional differentiations and slot-filler hierarchical organization.