In this book, the authors attempt to show how a cognitive account of development can be derived from a biological basis, using the example of the development of face recognition. While some research has indicated that newborn infants possess information about the general characteristics of faces, teh majority of studies indicate that infants may take several months before they respond selectively to faces. Mark Johnson and John Marton examine the results of their own replication and extension of both sets of findings.

Biology and Cognitive Development offers an important new theory of the development of face recognition and what it can tell us about the interaction between nature and nurture.