PSY 2105 Chapter Notes - Chapter 8: Lev Vygotsky, Inuit, Language Acquisition
26 May 2018
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Department
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PSY2105A Dr. Isabelle Boutet
Chap 8: Vygotskys Theo of Cogitie Deelopet 22.05.18
Sociocultural approaches – development must be understood in (and cannot be dissociated from) its social,
cultural and historical context; focus on intellectual development
• Culture: accumulated body of knowledge of a ppl encoded in language and embodied in the beliefs,
values, norms, rituals, physical artifacts, institutions, and activities passed down from one generation to
the next
Mechanisms of Change
Language
• Most powerful mechanism that propels cognitive development
• Primary form of social interaction – means to pass knowledge and values from one generation to the next
• Language acquisition is a milestone of development because it permits dialogue with more
knowledgeable individuals
Private speech – self-directed speech serves a role
Social Interactions – children acquire knowledge and cognitive skills by participating in cultural activities with more
experienced partners; introduced to new ways of thinking and internalize the skills
• what children can do with assistance of others might be in some sense even more indicative of their
mental development than what they can do alone
• Different than Piaget b/c he is only interested in how a child develops on their own
Scaffolding: ethod of teahig hee adult adjusts the leel of help poided i elatio to the hilds leel of
performance; goal to encourage independent performance
• unlearned tasks ot et ithi leaes ailit and cultural tools for learning
• An instructional process – teacher adjusts the amount and type of assistance for the child
zone of proximal development: distance btwn what a child can accomplish on his own and what the child can
achieve under the guidance of an adult; uleaed tasks at liits of leaes ailit
• Where the most productive social interactions occur
• Disepa t a hilds etal age ad the leel he reaches in solving problems with assistance
• Range of tasks too difficult for the child to do alone but possible with the help of adults (i.e scaffolding)
and more skilled peers
• Interaction in the ZPD promote cognitive learning b/c social support allows child to extend their skill
competence level
i.e Charlie – ouldt out the loks, ut ith othes oahig tehiues fo outig saffoldig he
develops the acquired task of counting
Guided participation: a by-product of participating in routine cultural activities with experienced people
• i.e learning to bake, learning to change a tire; routine activities differ from culture to culture
Cultural context – understand human cognition through its origins and transitions its gone through time
• culture determines language, beliefs, values, norms, rituals, tools, institutions, and activities
• what children learn and how depends on where they live
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Document Summary
Sociocultural approaches development must be understood in (and cannot be dissociated from) its social, cultural and historical context; focus on intellectual development. Culture: accumulated body of knowledge of a ppl encoded in language and embodied in the beliefs, values, norms, rituals, physical artifacts, institutions, and activities passed down from one generation to the next. Language: most powerful mechanism that propels cognitive development. Primary form of social interaction means to pass knowledge and values from one generation to the next. Language acquisition is a milestone of development because it permits dialogue with more knowledgeable individuals. Private speech self-directed speech serves a role. Guided participation: a by-product of participating in routine cultural activities with experienced people i. e learning to bake, learning to change a tire; routine activities differ from culture to culture. Play can set the stage for learning of cultural tools, social skills and norms via trial and error and instruction; and set the stage for scaffolding.
