title: Developmental systems theory: what does it explain, and how does it explain it?
abstract: We examine developmental systems theory (DST) with two questions in mind: What does DST explain? How does DST explain it? To answer these questions, we start by reviewing major contributions to the origins of DST: the introduction of the idea of a "developmental system", the idea of probabilistic epigenesis, the attention to the role of information in the developmental system, and finally the explicit identification of a DST. We then consider what DST is not, contrasting it with two approaches that have been foils for DST: behavioral genetics and nativist cognitive psychology. Third, we distill out two core concepts that have defined DSTthroughout its history: epigenesis and developmental dynamics. Finally, we turn to how DST explains, arguing that it explains by elucidating mechanisms.
authors.affiliation: Department of Philosophy, Charles Perkins Centre, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia. paul.griffiths@sydney.edu.au
authors.forename: Paul E
authors.initials: PE
authors.lastname: Griffiths
authors.forename: James
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Tabery
mesh_terms: D019336:Cognitive Science; D044127:Epigenesis, Genetic; D005824:Genetics, Behavioral; D006803:Human Development; D006801:Humans; D017711:Nonlinear Dynamics; D010684:Philosophy; D011603:Psychophysiology; D049490:Systems Biology; D013598:Systems Theory