This book presents an integrated theory of cognitive development in infancy and early childhood, emphasizing the role of language in memory, processing narratives, forming concepts, and understanding others' intentions. Chapter 1, "Language, Cognition, and Culture in Developmental Perspective," presents the experiential theoretical approach and discusses representation in cognition and communication, semiotic mediation, and the cultural context. Chapter 2, "Emergence of Human Minds in Evolution and Development," presents the evolutionary and biological background, focusing on implications of evolution for psychological theory. Chapter 3, "Evolution and Development of the Hybrid Mind," examines Merlin Donald's (1991) explanation of the evolution of human cognition. Chapter 4,"Early Cognition: Episodic to Mimetic Childhood in a Hybrid Culture," considers prelinguistic event representations in the context of early social and cognitive development. Chapter 5, "The Emergence of Mediating Language," focuses on how early language develops to become a possible representation mode. Chapter 6, "Memory in Early Childhood: The Emergence of the Historical Self," traces memory development in early childhood. Chapter 7, "The Emergence of the Storied Mind," examines the role of narrative in memory development, while chapter 8, "The Emergence of the Paradigmatic Mind," considers concepts and categories of objects. Chapter 9, "The Emergence of the Temporal Mind," discusses time concepts and language, while chapter 10, "The Emergence of the Projective Mind," focuses on the child's theory of mind. Chapter 11, "Collaborative Construction of the Mediated Mind," summarizes the theory of developmental change through collaborative construction in early human development. Contains approximately 660 references. (KB)