Cognitive Development - Vygotsky

Question 1

What is internalisation and an example.

Answer 1

When children learn through social experiences.
E.g. Pointing:
- A baby will reach for a toy and when the parent see’s they will point towards it and ask if they want it.
- Through observing the parents behaviour and understanding the meaning of the behaviour, they can use this and imitate the behaviour in other situations.

Question 2

What is Zonal of Proximal Development?

Answer 2

The distance between what a child can achieve alone and the same child achieve with guidance from another person.

Question 3

What is Scaffolding?

Answer 3

A form of cognitive instruction in which a child is given a level of help and support which is gradually reduced as the child becomes more competent, until they can do it unaided.

Question 4

What is an example of Scaffolding?

Answer 4

A child learning to do addition and subtraction:

• Teacher will show child how to it and the child will be helped and prompted.
• Later the child will do the same question with teacher watching, giving suggestions.
• Later still they’ll give occasional help till can be solved alone.
• The support of the structure of scaffolding is gradually withdrawn so child can do work independently.

Question 5

Evaluation of scaffolding

Answer 5

• Isn’t very successful in large groups because everyone would be at different ZPD’s. It would take longer as the ZPD’s are different, their ability to work alone and with help would be different so not effective.
• Successful in small groups of similar understanding as their ZPD’s would be close which means it would be more effective.
• Occurs in many forms. Parents use scaffolding in their response to a child’s early attempts of speech and helping children understand their feelings, as well as learning activities in cultures where working life begins early and adults will scaffold their skills to young apprentices.

Question 6

What is peer tutoring?

Answer 6

An expert child is given the role of tutor and novices child is given the role of the tutee. As the children are peers, the expert child should be slightly more advanced than novice child and work within their ZPD.

Question 7

Evaluation of peer tutoring

Answer 7

• Children who benefit most from peer tutoring are those who were initially much less competent than their peer tutor.
• When the peer tutor lacks confidence or fails to modify their behaviour for the tutee, then performance is no better than when the child works alone.

Question 8

What is guided participation in sociocultural activity?

Answer 8

The transmission of cultural practices where children engage in cultural activities whilst adults model, encourage and regulate performance.

Question 9

Rogoff et al - USA girl scout cookie sale

Answer 9

Aim:
Studied the transmission of knowledge and skills during a cookie sale.

Method:
3 levels of analysis was conducted - community level, interpersonal level, personal level.

Results:
Found that older members of the community passed on their knowledge and experiences and the girls reshaped and extended their knowledge.

Conclusion:
Shows guided participation increases understanding so effects an individuals cognitive development.