Preferential-looking studies suggest that by 2 months of age, infants may have knowledge about some object properties, such as solidity. Manual search studies of toddlers examining these same concepts, however, have failed to provide evidence for the same understanding. Investigators have recently attempted to reconcile this disparity but failed…

Background: Social understanding is often thought to be relatively "protected" in children with Down's syndrome (DS) and to underlie the outgoing personality characteristically attributed to them. This paper draws together findings from our studies of behaviours during object concept testing, generally considered a theoretically "pure" measure of…

Proposes concept of a flexible frame through which the therapeutic relationship can both permit primitive defenses to emerge and serve as a basis for a corrective emotional experience. Containment, confrontation, and interpretation are presented as a three-fold strategy for effective engagement and treatment of the multisymptom patient. Provides…

Presents paradigmatic case of "failure to know" involving a 36-year-old man treated in psychoanalytic therapy. Reviews issues such as the construction of narrative meaning, the concept of alexithymia, and the object-relational concept of the "unthought known." Discusses transference-countertransference matrix. (JBJ)