Vygotsky Flashcards
Who was Vygotsky?
A Russian psychologist writing in the 1920s and 1930s
What was Vygotsky’s major view on cognitive development?
Cognitive development is a social process of learning from more experienced others
What is the zone of proximal development (ZPD)?
The gap between a child’s current level of development and what they can understand after interaction with more expert others
How does Vygotsky’s view of language differ from Piaget’s?
Vygotsky saw language as a much more important part of cognitive development than did Piaget
What are the two stages of knowledge acquisition according to Vygotsky?
- Intermental
- Intramental
What does Vygotsky believe about cultural differences in cognitive abilities?
Cognitive abilities are acquired from the more experienced individuals a child has contact with, leading to cultural differences in development
What is scaffolding in the context of Vygotsky’s theory?
The support provided by adults and more advanced peers to help a child cross the zone of proximal development
List the five aspects of scaffolding identified by Wood, Bruner, and Ross.
- Recruitment
- Reduction of degrees of freedom
- Prediction maintenance
- Marking on critical features
- Demonstration
True or False: Vygotsky believed that higher mental functions could be acquired solely through individual exploration.
False
Fill in the blank: Vygotsky believed that knowledge is first _______ and then _______.
[intermental], [intramental]
What is the role of expert assistance in Vygotsky’s theory?
It allows a child to cross the ZPD and develop advanced reasoning abilities
How does the level of help in scaffolding change as a learner progresses?
It declines from high levels of help to lower levels as the child becomes more competent
What is the significance of mental tools in Vygotsky’s theory?
They are acquired from the cultural context and are important for life within physical, social, and work environments
What is an example of scaffolding?
Mother draws an object with crayons as a demonstration
What is the zone of proximal development?
The gap between the level of reasoning a child can achieve independently and what they can achieve with help from a more expert individual.
What study supports the zone of proximal development?
The study by Roazzi and Bryant (1998) involving 4-5-year-old children estimating the number of sweets in a box.
What was observed in the study by Roazzi and Bryant regarding children’s estimates?
Most children working alone failed to give a good estimate, while those receiving expert help succeeded.
What does Vygotsky’s idea suggest about children’s reasoning abilities?
Children can develop additional reasoning abilities when working with a more expert individual.
What is scaffolding in the context of learning?
Support provided by adults or older children to younger children to help them master new tasks.
What did the study by Conner and Cross (2003) observe about maternal support?
Mothers used less direct intervention and more hints and prompts as children gained experience.
How has Vygotsky’s ideas influenced education?
They have raised expectations for what children can achieve with appropriate scaffolding.
What evidence supports the effectiveness of peer tutoring?
Van Keer and Verhanghe (2005) found that 7-year-olds tutored by 10-year-olds progressed further in reading.
What conclusion did Alborz et al. (2009) reach about teaching assistants?
Teaching assistants are effective at improving learning in children if they have received appropriate training.
True or False: Vygotsky believed all children learning together would pick up similar skills.
False.
What individual factors can affect learning according to the evaluation?
Personality and style of information processing.
Fill in the blank: Vygotsky’s theory suggests that learning processes are largely the same in all children, which may overlook _______.
[individual differences].
What was a key finding of Christine Howe’s work regarding group learning?
What children learn varies considerably between individuals, even in group learning.
What practical value does Vygotsky’s theory have for teaching?
It emphasizes the importance of social interaction and scaffolding in education.
What is the role of the expert partner in the learning process?
To provide support that gradually decreases as the learner gains experience.
How did mothers adapt their help in the study by Conner and Cross as children grew?
They increasingly offered help only when needed rather than constant support.
