1 - piaget and vygotsky

Question 1

basic tendencies in thinking

Answer 1

assimilation: translate incoming info into a form they understand
accommodation: adapt current knowledge structures in response to new experience
equilibration: people balance assimilation and accomodation to create stable understanding

Question 2

piaget: 4 distinct stages of discontinuity of development

Answer 2

1. sensorimotor
2. preoperational
3. concrete
4. formal

Question 3

piaget: strengths of theory

Answer 3

• innovative at that time
• wide scope of development
• identified central role of cognition in development
• many things present in the mind innately

Question 3

piaget: weaknesses of theory

Answer 3

• paid too little attention on social and cultural influences on children’s dev
• underestimated children’s intellectual abilities and overestimated adults
• abilities aren’t unified
• inappropriate learning enviornment children are capable in higher level cognitive operations (contrary to his theory)
• methodology

Question 4

vygotsky: theory

Answer 4

sociocultural theory
- development and culture closely related to one another
- each child develops differently because of cultural difference

zone of proximal development
- scaffolding

Question 5

vygotsky: strengths of theory

Answer 5

• role of family and culture in development
• urges teachers to provide cooperative and interactive experiences for their students
• they can be applied in classrooms

Question 6

vygotsky: weakness of theory

Answer 6

• too much variation of interpretation of his theories as he couldn’t finish his research
• underestimated individual and overestimated social and cultural factors