The problems of brightness constancy (e.g., the constancy of perceived object color under different illumination conditions), and of the perceptual constancies in general, arise from the fact that changed sensory stimuli frequently elicit unchanged responses (and vice versa) which follow more closely the variations of distal stimuli (objects) than of the sensory-surface stimulus distributions. ...

Studies on human infants, focused on the ontogenetic origins of knowledge, have provided evidence for a small set of separable systems of core knowledge dealing with the representation of objects, number, and space. We investigated core knowledge systems from a comparative perspective, making use of the domestic chick as a model system, and filial imprinting as a key to animal mind. Here, we di...

Neural imaging studies have shown that the brains of skilled musicians respond differently to musical stimuli than do the brains of non-musicians, particularly for musicians who commenced practice at an early age. Whether brain attributes related to musical skill are attributable to musical practice or are hereditary traits that influence the decision to train musically is a subject of controve...

American voting patterns exhibit long periods of relative stability in the voters’ partisan preferences. This continuity, however, is occasionally interrupted by a sudden shift in party loyalties. This inquiry focuses on the shift of party loyalties in the 1850s which gave rise to the Republican party. During the 1850s, the national party system underwent a massive reorganization. At the beginn...