Are Abstract Concepts Like Dinosaur Feathers?
Are Abstract Concepts Like Dinosaur Feathers?

Author: Anna Jelec

Publisher: Wydawnictwo Naukowe UAM

Published: 2014-11-18

Total Pages: 151

ISBN-13: 8323227691

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The human nervous system evolved for the control of complex physical actions. Yet, we are far from understanding the human capacity for complex abstract thought. One theory suggests that both abstract and concrete thinking is based on a single perceptual mechanism grounded in physical experience. Asking the question posed by psychologist Daniel Casasanto whether "abstract concepts are like dinosaur feathers" we investigate the evolutionary processes that allowed humans to deal with abstract phenomena by putting them in concrete terms. After all, we frequently resort to analogies, similes or metaphors when describing the intangible. We may say "put that into words" as if words were containers into which thought can be stored. Conceptual Metaphor Theory goes a step further by saying that not only do we speak about abstract concepts in physical terms, but we think about them in this manner as well. However, the theory itself has been vigorously criticised because its principal theses are considered impossible to falsify. The author of this book proposes a new perspective on the conceptual role of metaphors. Filled with theoretical analyses and empirical research on the speech and gesture of seeing, blind and visually impaired children, this book demonstrates that the basis for abstract thought may well lie in physical experience.

Perspectives on Abstract Concepts
Perspectives on Abstract Concepts

Author: Marianna Bolognesi

Publisher: John Benjamins Publishing Company

Published: 2019-06-15

Total Pages: 329

ISBN-13: 9027262527

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Human language is the most powerful communication system that evolution has produced. Within this system, we can talk about things we can physically see, such as cats and tables, but also about more abstract entities, such as theories and feelings. But how are these abstract concepts grounded in human cognition and represented in the mind? How are they constructed in language? And how are they used in natural communication settings? This book addresses these questions through a collection of studies that relate to various theoretical frameworks, ranging from Conceptual Metaphor Theory to Words as Social Tools. Contributors investigate how abstract concepts are grounded in the mind, represented in language, and used in verbal discourse. This richness is matched by a range of methods used throughout the volume, from neuroimaging to computational modeling, and from behavioral experiments to corpus analyses.

Perception Metaphors
Perception Metaphors

Author: Laura J. Speed

Publisher: John Benjamins Publishing Company

Published: 2019-02-15

Total Pages: 392

ISBN-13: 9027263043

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Metaphor allows us to think and talk about one thing in terms of another, ratcheting up our cognitive and expressive capacity. It gives us concrete terms for abstract phenomena, for example, ideas become things we can grasp or let go of. Perceptual experience—characterised as physical and relatively concrete—should be an ideal source domain in metaphor, and a less likely target. But is this the case across diverse languages? And are some sensory modalities perhaps more concrete than others? This volume presents critical new data on perception metaphors from over 40 languages, including many which are under-studied. Aside from the wealth of data from diverse languages—modern and historical; spoken and signed—a variety of methods (e.g., natural language corpora, experimental) and theoretical approaches are brought together. This collection highlights how perception metaphor can offer both a bedrock of common experience and a source of continuing innovation in human communication.

Using Science to Develop Thinking Skills at Key Stage 3
Using Science to Develop Thinking Skills at Key Stage 3

Author: Pat O'Brien

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2003

Total Pages: 144

ISBN-13: 1843120372

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This book presents a series of practical activities designed to help teachers build an effective science curriculum for more able children. It focuses on: developing higher order thinking skills using conceptual language; directed activities relating to text for developing higher order skills; and in-depth study topics that emphasize a "real product" outcome. Activities range from short discussion topics and problems to solve, to whole-day masterclasses. Topics covered include: context enrichment - by team research/discussion and by visit plus follow-up work; general and science-based thinking activities; thinking tools - including zones of relevance; effective organization of information - herring bone diagrams, flow charts, flash cards; argument mapping; analysis and interpretation of data; modeling and using spreadsheets; and science writing activities.

Extreme Dinosaurs
Extreme Dinosaurs

Author: Luis Rey

Publisher: Chronicle Books

Published: 2001-06

Total Pages: 68

ISBN-13: 9780811830867

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Not all dinosaurs were created equal--some were fat, some had feathers, some had three-foot claws. Artist Rey draws upon the latest scientific information to bring astounding new visions of dinosaurs to life with colorful, detailed images. Illustrations.

Drawing and Painting Dinosaurs
Drawing and Painting Dinosaurs

Author: Emily Willoughby

Publisher: The Crowood Press

Published: 2021-10-25

Total Pages: 529

ISBN-13: 1785009567

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People of all ages are fascinated by dinosaurs. Though their huge skeletons are an impressive sight, much of our sense of childlike wonder comes from artistic depictions of them in books, museum murals and popular culture. This book is about how such 'paleoart' is created, and the process of integrating scientific findings with artistic principles to produce accurate, expressive and arresting artworks of dinosaurs and the world they lived in. Drawing and Painting Dinosaurs explores the anatomy and ecology of different types of dinosaurs including Deinonychus, Apatosaurus and Tyrannosaurus rex. It demonstrates how to interpret paleontological research through the lens of an artistic depiction with examples. There are over 250 illustrations feature pencil drawings, gouache, oil paint, and digital media. Step-by-step projects demonstrate the use of both traditional and digital media, the use of unique techniques and sources of reference, and building up dinosaur anatomy from basic shapes. Finally, it gives insight into how paleoart can be a means to advance knowledge through scientific analysis and prediction. With explorations of dinosaur anatomy, unique techniques for reference and a series of how-to instructions, this book will guide an aspiring paleoartist in learning how to breathe life into the past through art.

Dinosaurs by the Decades
Dinosaurs by the Decades

Author: Randy Moore

Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing USA

Published: 2014-07-23

Total Pages: 736

ISBN-13:

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Providing an appealing chronology of "all things dinosaur," this book covers these ancient creatures' roles and surprising importance in science, religion, and society at large. This exhaustive, up-to-date book contains more than 2,000 entries about dinosaurs and dinosaur-related topics. It provides not only detailed information about their discovery, underlying science, and recent technologies and theories but also encompasses all of the facets of dinosaurs in society—for example, their use in consumer marketing and promotion, popularization of dinosaurs in the media, as "proof" for both evolutionists and creationists to substantiate their claims about life's origins, and as cultural artifacts. Organized chronologically, the book offers an informative and entertaining timeline of how dinosaurs have appeared in science, religion, and society since they were discovered in the 1800s, covering everything from dinosaur museum displays to how dinosaurs served advocates of young-Earth creationism. This fascinating work enables a broad appreciation for the surprising significance of dinosaurs in many aspects of our daily lives and modern society.

EBOOK: Doing Early Childhood Research
EBOOK: Doing Early Childhood Research

Author: Glenda Mac Naughton

Publisher: McGraw-Hill Education (UK)

Published: 2010-06-16

Total Pages: 401

ISBN-13: 0335242634

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"It is rare for any research methodology book to cover so much ground, and contain so many different kinds of resources between two covers." Journal of Education for Teaching "As a guide for new and inexperienced researchers, it is second to none." British Journal of Educational Studies Doing Early Childhood Research demystifies the research process. An international team of experienced researchers shows how to select methods which are appropriate for working with young children in early childhood settings or at home. They provide a thorough introduction to the most common research methods used in the early childhood context. Reflecting the multidisciplinary nature of much early childhood research, they cover a wide range of conventional and newer methods including observation, small surveys, interviews with adults and children, action research, ethnography and quasi-experimental approaches. They explain clearly how to set up research projects which are theoretically grounded, well-designed, rigorously analysed, feasible and ethically based. Each chapter is illustrated with examples. Widely used by early childhood researchers in many countries, this second edition of Doing Early Childhood Research has been fully revised. It includes new chapters on beginning research, mixed methods research, interviewing children, and working with Indigenous children, and also new case study chapters. It is essential reading for novice, initial career and experienced researchers. Contributors Maria Assunção Folque, Sue Atkinson-Lopez, Mindy Blaise, Liane Brow, Margaret Coady, Audrey D’Souza Juma, Anne Edwards, Sue Emmett, Susan Grieshaber, Linda Harrison, Alan Hayes, Patrick Hughes, Glenda Mac Naughton, Karen Martin, Sharne A. Rolfe, Iram Siraj-Blatchford, John Siraj-Blatchford, Louise Taylor, Teresa Vasconcelos