Vygotsky Flashcards
What is the relationship between learning and development?
learning can lead development and vice versa
What is the Zone of Proximal Development?
the area between independent performance and assisted performance
What approach does Vygotsky take in his theory of development?
socio-historic
Explain cultural mediation
specific knowledge gained by children through social interactions represent the shared knowledge of a culture
Explain the process of internalization (2)
- knowing how - mastering a skill through activities within society
- appropriation - taking a tool and making it your own
How does Vygotsky’s view of learning and development differ from other theorists? (2)
unlike Piaget - he doesn’t put learning as subordinate to development
unlike Watson - he doesn’t see development as synonymous with learning
Explain Vygotsky’s socio-historical theory of cognitive development
cognitive development is a shift from:
primitive mental functions to higher psychological functions
- as a result of human interaction
What are the principles of the Vygotskian theory? (6)
- Human mental abilities develop through internalization
- Humans use psychological tools
- Thought and language develop separately - self talk to inner speech
- Cognitive development entails the development of higher mental functions, selective attention, categorical perception, logical memory, abstract thought
- Difficult tasks are accomplished with adult intervention
- The ZPD is the distance between the actual developmental level and the level of potential development
What belief is the ZPD based on?
learning should be slightly above the child’s level
Are activities mastered within the ZPD complete?
No, they are a beginning providing basis for complex internal thinking
What are the functions of the ZPD? (3)
- mediator between behaviour and mastering that behaviour
- promotes and enhance cognitive development through interaction with more advanced individuals
- scaffolding
How does scaffolding work? (5)
- making tasks simpler
- giving hints about the next step
- providing observational experience
- allows phasing out of adult-guided tasks
- allows for the transition from action to thought
What is a criticism of IQ tests?
IQ tests only test what a child can do alone - not their potential for development
What is signalization?
direct association of stimuli occurring together in the environment
What is signification?
attaching meaning to symbols
What are the aim and end state of signification? (2)
Aim - systemizing and categorizing our perception - leading to abstractions and generalization
End state - internalization the process of controlling memory and attention - leading to complex thinking operations
What are the stages of development of sign usage?
- Pre-intellectual
- Naïve (direct representation - not logical)
- Dominance of external sign use
- Internalization
What are the functions of instruction in cognitive development? (3)
- instruction precedes, influences, and leads to development
- instruction implements the general laws of genetic development
- instruction structures the process of signification
What are some similarities between Piaget and Vygotsky’s theories?
- focus on process, not product
- activities lead to learning and development
- thought = internalized action
- action precedes though
- learning = adaptation
What are the differences between Piaget and Vygotsky’s theories in terms of:
- process of development
- causes of development
- mechanism for development
Process:
- Piaget: stages, schemata
- Vygotsky: socially mediated process
Causes:
- Piaget: equilibration process
- Vygotsky: ZPD, culture
Mechanism:
- Piaget: contradiction to assimilation
- Vygotsky: mediation in ZPD
