vygotsky's theory of cognitive development

Question 1

what is the main assumption of Vygotsky’s theory?

Answer 1

• that learning was a social process, in which children acquired new knowledge and more advanced reasoning skills (to deal with this new knowledge), from more-advanced others, who were called ‘experts’

Question 2

what did Vygotsky argue about language?

Answer 2

• language is a crucial cognitive skill, which develops in stages
• language is needed because to complete more complex mental functions, we need social support
• we understand the world through inner speech and interact through social communication

Question 3

what did Vygotsky argue about cultural differences?

Answer 3

• there will be differences between cultures in cognitive development because learning is a social process

Question 4

what are the 2 mental functions?

Answer 4

• elementary mental functions: innate functions such as reflexes, senses perception, memory and attention
• higher mental functions: complex functions such as language, reasoning, and understanding

Question 5

what did vygotsky propose about mental functions?

Answer 5

Vygotsky’s theory is concerned with how these higher mental functions develop through social interactions

Question 6

outline vygotsky’s blocks experiment

Answer 6

• children were given wooden blocks of varying heigh, colour and shape
• each was labelled with a nonsense label e.g. ‘CEV’ was used to label tall and square blocks
• the child was asked to identify what these labels meant
• based on this experiment, Vygotsky observed that children went through stages before achieving mature concepts

Question 7

what are the 4 stages?

Answer 7

1. vague syncretic (trial + error)
2. complexes (some strategies used, little pattern)
3. potential concept (deals with 1 attribute)
4. mature concept ( deals with multiple attributes e.g. tall + square)

Question 8

what is the zone of proximal development?

Answer 8

the gap between an infant’s current intellectual ability and their potential intellectual ability

Question 9

zone of proximal development visual:

Answer 9

1. current abilities (able to do alone)
2. zone of PD (can do with guidance)
3. too advanced (cannot do)

Question 10

how do learners cross the zone of PD?

Answer 10

learners could receive help from more experienced peers through the
process of scaffolding. (expert)

Question 11

what is scaffolding?

Answer 11

a temporary framework that is put up for support and access to meaning
- taken away when the child secures control of success with a task

Question 12

scaffolding research (Roazzi + Bryant)

Answer 12

4-5 y/o received prompts from an older peer (expert), meaning they could successfully master an estimating task of the number of sweets in a box

Question 13

scaffolding research (Verhaeghe)

Answer 13

7 y/o tutored by 10 y/o, progressed further in reading than a control group who had standard whole-class teaching

Question 14

S vygotsky: supporting evidence (Wood)

Answer 14

ID: Several studies support aspects of Vygotsky’s theory.
Q: Wood et al conducted research and found support for scaffolding and the zone of PD.
EX: for example, he observed children aged 3-5 as they built a model pyramid from blocks with the help of a teacher. This task was too difficult for the children to complete by themselves, but simple enough that they could do it with the help of the teacher (zone of proximal development). The researchers found that scaffolding by the teacher (e.g. demonstrating solutions that the child could recognise, and guiding children without telling them exactly what to do) enabled the children to complete the task.
AN: therefore, this study demonstrates both the zone of proximal development and the benefits of using scaffolding to help children learn within this zone.

Question 15

W vygotsky: reductionist

Answer 15

ID: Vygotsky’s theory can be considered reductionist
Q: In focusing on cultural and social factors only, Vygotsky’s theory may be too reductionist and ignore individual differences.
EX: for example, even within the same culture or social environment, different children will learn at different speeds. This suggests that other factors are needed to explain intellectual development. For example, genetic or biological differences in intelligence may influence cognitive development in addition to social factors
AN: therefore, this is problematic as Vygotsky’s theory may not be a universal explanation for cognitive development in all children.

Question 16

S vygotsky: research support

Answer 16

ID: Evidence supporting the zone of proximal development
Q: this comes from Roazzi and Bryant who researched 4-5 year olds
EX: for example, they found that those who received help from an older/more experienced peer, created a more accurate estimate of the number of sweets in a box, compared to those who worked alone. This supports the methods used in scaffolding to help a child cross the ZPD and achieve more advanced reasoning skills. the researchers found that “social interaction between less and more advanced children enhances the less advanced children’s ability to make logical inferences
AN: therefore, this supports the idea of a ZPD, since the children improved their knowledge and understanding of the task with the help of experts, suggesting that there was a gap in such knowledge in the first instance.