Vygotsky

Question 1

little …

Answer 1

…apprentices

Question 2

what is the key factor in individual development ?

Answer 2

culture

Question 3

what is cognitive development driven by ?

Answer 3

A child’s biological maturation and interaction with others.

Question 4

what are the two types of mental function ?

Answer 4

elementary and higher

Question 5

what is the elementary process ?

Answer 5

innate reflexes, sensory abilities and memory

Question 6

what is the higher process ?

Answer 6

language comprehension and decision making

Question 7

how do you move functions ?

Answer 7

social and cultural factors move you from function to function.

Question 8

who disagreed with the concept of higher functions ?

Answer 8

Gredler (1992) - the culture of Papa New Guinea limits higher mental functions i.e. maths because of the technique they learn to count with.

Question 9

What is the ZPD -

Answer 9

Zone of proximal development - the distance between the actual development level (determined by individual problem solving) and the level of potential development (guidance from the adult or more knowledgeable other (MKO)

Question 10

Support for the ZPD ?

Answer 10

McNaughton and Leyland (1990) found that children reached a higher level of difficulty when working with there mothers then working on their own.

Question 11

strengths ?

Answer 11

• provides a bridge between social and cognitive domains.
• a more positive approach them Piaget’s because it offers ways that others can be actively involved in assisting a learner.

Question 12

weaknesses ?

Answer 12

• relativity little research related to Vygotsky’s theory compared to Piaget. This is because they concepts are more difficult to operationalise.
• May have over emphasised the role of social environment.

Question 13

IDA ?

Answer 13

The differences between Piaget and Vygotsky are reflected in their backgrounds.
Piaget - individualist - Swiss
vygotsky - communist -Russian