Contemporary thinking about modularity suggests that modules are:

• A. Semi-independent, with some degree of communication between modules
• B. Completely independent with no communication
• C. Identical across all cognitive domains
• D. Non-modular, with global processing

Answer: (A)

Contemporary thinking about modularity views the mind as built from specialized processing units, each tuned to a particular kind of information. These modules operate with a degree of autonomy, handling their own computations quickly and often automatically, and they’re relatively encapsulated, meaning they don’t fully reveal their internal workings to other parts of cognition. But they are not isolated; they communicate and exchange information with other modules and higher-level control systems, allowing integrated perception and action. That blend—being semi-independent while still interacting with other systems—is what the statement captures.

This aligns with how we see the brain: dedicated systems for things like faces, language, or color, which can show selective impairments, yet still need to work together to produce coherent experience and behavior. The idea that modules are completely independent, identical across all domains, or nonexistent (global processing) doesn’t fit this nuanced view.