How independent are different cognitive skills during development? Is the modularity seen in the studies of adult neuropsychology disorders mirrored by modularity in development? Are developmental neuropsychological disorders explicable against cognitive models? What restrictions are there to developmental plasticity? How many routes are there to competence? Is there a single developmental pathway? What do disorders of cognitive development tell us about normal developmental processes? These are some of the questions addressed by this text.; In certain cognitive domains, such as the analysis of reading and spelling disorders, the field is well developed, with extensive studies of the development of dyslexias and dysgraphias. In other areas, such as the analysis of perceptual spatial disorders, pertinant studies are beginning, as in the analysis of developmental face recognition disorders, and the exploration of spatial disorders of Williams' syndrome. In these areas, interesting routes for future inquiry are also evident. The text of this book is organized around seven key cognitive areas, within which the developmental disorders are addressed in turn: language, memory, perception, reading, spelling, arithmetic and executive skills. The first three of this list may be considered the core areas of cognition; the second three involve specific cultural transmission in their acquisition; and the third, concerns higher order processes. The major emphasis of the text is upon developmental rather than acquired disorders. Throughout, case studies are used to convey an impression of the cases themselves, and to illustrate how dissociations in performance are displayed.

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Where does creativity come from? Why are some people more creative than others? Eminent neuropsychologist Christine Temple navigates a wide range of factors from the hard science (visual memory, spatial ability, brain functions) to the environmental (the 'mad genius' myth, and Gladwell's 10,000 hours of practice) in her study of what contributes to creativity. Using Pablo Picasso as her model of a creative genius, she weighs up each theory as it applies to Picasso and shows how his own creativity came from a combination of many factors. In this book, she looks at Picasso's playful mindset and passionate relationships, investigates the possibility that genius is genetic and can be inherited in families, considers whether creative genii perceive the world in a different way, and determines whether single-mindedness and focus play a part. This is the first book to look at a multitude of traits in creativity, and nail down the key factors that matter (and also which ones don't) to provide an overall picture of this fascinating area, linking the science to the personal.