Cognitive Development: Vygotsky's Theory Of Cognitive Development

In the “Study of the Child: Theories of Development I” (Learning Seed, 1997), according to Vygotsky, the cognitive development in children is in direct relationship, and dependent on interaction with others. (Feldman 2010, pg. 20). Vygotsky believed to truly understand cognitive development; a child’s social and cultural experiences must be considered.

In Vygotsky’s sociocultural development theory, social interaction plays an important role in the process of cognitive development, which is different then Piaget’s understanding of child development. Vygotsky believed children are active knowledge

Vygotsky proposed that children’s development is affected by their culture and social interaction. He also suggested that children are not born with knowledge but they gain it through their social interactions with peers and adults; he does not rule out the importance of biological processes but proposes an interdependent relationship between biological development alongside social activity and cultural interaction.

Vygotsky’s theory can be applied in a daycare setting to foster cognitive development. When guiding children, the adult-child dialogue, scaffolding, and the zone of proximal development are important for their cognitive development. Vygotsky believed that cognitive development required social interaction to develop fully (Manheimer, 2015). The need for language and communication is especially important in a daycare setting. Children are encouraged to participate in social interactions when being in a daycare around many other children and other adults. Vygotsky

A second strength of the sociocultural perspective is the emphasis on the role of adults in childhood cognitive development through guided participation. Vygotsky introduced the idea that children learn in a zone of proximal development. Meaning the distance between what an individual can do alone and what they can do with guidance and assistance from a capable member of society (Mcleod, 2010). Any skills outside the zone would be already mastered or still too difficult to attempt alone. “To Vygotsky, learning in collaboration with more knowledgeable companions drives cognitive development (Sigelman).” This is true throughout the world. Children in many cultures learn from a teacher, from family members, and many others. In other cultures, children learn skills from relatives, members of their village or tribe, or from other skilled members in their group. This perspective satisfies the need to recognize the role of adults in

Jean Piaget’s Theory of Cognitive Development was one of the first steps in understanding how children become who they are as adults. In early childhood, children begin to understand symbols and representations (Berk, 2014, p. 227). Their learning shifts from sensing the world as in the sensorimotor stage to trying to find commonalities like symbols. According to Berk (2014), Vygotsky’s Sociocultural Theory focused on “social context of cognitive development” (p. 234). Vygotsky incorporated social context and social interactions into childhood development; in other words, who, how, and what children interact with in their everyday social environment contributes to their mental and emotional development. When it comes to both of these cognitive theories, there are many similarities and differences between Piaget and Vygotsky.

Lev Vygotsky believed that social and cognitive development work simultaneously to build and evolve on one another. He believed that social, cultural and personal experience cannot be detached from each other and many things influence the way children learn and develop, not just their own experiences, thus Vygotsky’s socio-cultural theory. Vygotsky’s ideas were and remain controversial as he had no specific training in psychology or children’s development. His preeminent contribution to children’s development is his recognition of the value of progressing knowledge by means of interaction with educators, peers and family (Mooney, 2000, p. 83). The major ideas of Vygotsky’s theory are scaffolding and the Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD). Scaffolding is a process Vygotsky described as the framework or temporary support for children’s learning. In order for scaffolding to be beneficial, it must be responsive to the child’s needs (Coon & Mitterer, 2013, pp. 106-107).

The tightness of a parents’ grip upon their children can reflect the way we function for the rest of our lives. Too tight, and we desire freedom and indulge in rebellion. Too loose, we become lost souls, hopelessly searching for that one constant comfort in a sea of dissatisfaction and loneliness. Lev Vygotsky theorized that a person 's psychological development is formed by his/her past and social environment. Vygotsky focused on the social interactions during the learning process and claimed there is a deep interrelationship between social and cognitive development. He believed that children are curious and actively involved in their own learning. They discover and development new understandings about the world by observing those who are in their immediate surroundings.

The approach is based on the idea that an individual’s activities occurs in a cultural context and can be best understood in their historical development (Kagitcibasi, 2012). Vygotsky developed this theory with the intent of coming up with a way to explain human behavior. The theory examined various subjects including the psychology of art, thought and language; and also focused on education of students with special needs. Vygotsky believed that caregivers, parents, peers, and culture at large play an important role in developing an individual’s higher order functions. There are various modern time interpretations of this theory with one focused on explaining human development. In this context, the sociocultural theory explains that learning is a social process and the society makes a significant contribution to individual development. The theory states that learning is based on interactions with other people and once this has happened, the information is then incorporated on a personal level (Hutchison,

Vygotsky’s sociocultural theory of development is essential in d primary school and early childhood settings. Through an understanding of the socio-cultural theory, it facilitates pedagogical practices and teaching strategies for educators. The socio-cultural theory is underpinned by the influence of the environment and cultural contexts such as beliefs, values and skills in facilitating development (Mooney 2013, p. 77). Smidt (2009, p. 7) states that children’s understanding of the world and lives is shaped by social interactions from families, peers, educators and community (Nolan & Raban-Bisby 2015, p. 31). Vygotsky theorised that interpersonal relationships and experiences contributed to higher

Vygotsky’s (1978) theoretical model of human development and learning, is characterised by the belief that self-learning comes out through exploration, interaction and reflection. These are the key elements of the learning process evolving from the child’s critical curiosity within a co-operative learning framework (Schaffer, 2004) In essence, development occurs through a process of engagement and participation in relationships with trusted and caring other who model psychological propensities and processes, and provide opportunities for practising them in real-life situations. Such influential social interactions occur with parents and other caregivers such as teachers, peers,

The three adaptive processes for cognitive development are assimilation, accommodation, and equilibrium. These are three agents

Creating a positive change started to get ingrained in my head since I became of school age. Growing up in a place where drugs, gangs, and crime was all too common, I decided to push back against this by educating myself. Not having the available community resources and watching friends and family members end up in jail or dead shook me to the core. I remember being told of some neighborhood friends who had died, one of an overdose of heroine and another (who was involved in gangs) had gotten shot and killed in a drive by shooting. Both happened just steps from our house! I remember thinking, even back then, that I did want to end up like them. I also remember thinking that if I had any children that I would do my best not to expose them to the same environment I was exposed to when I was growing up. According to Vygotsky’s concepts of cognitive development theory, my interactions with others in my neighborhood caused me to alter my environment which guided me, regulate me and redefined who I am now.

Vygotsky’s sociocultural theory of development suggested that to develop cognitively, children must have social interaction. He also “believed that this lifelong process of development was dependent of social interaction and that social learning actually leads to cognitive development” (Riddle, 1999). Vygotsky believed that children 's social learning must come before social development. Vygotsky also believed that "human activities take place in cultural settings and cannot be understood apart from these settings" (Woolfolk, 2004). Therefore, our culture helps shape our cognition.

Lev Semionovich Vygotsky was a Russian psychologist and constructivist learning theorist who was known for arguing against the theories of psychologist Jean Piaget. Piaget believed that in order for any learning to occur there had to development within the individual first, but Vygotsky argued the contrary. He argued that in order for development to occur, the individual would first have to have learning take place through instruction and example in a given appropriate environment. Vygotsky’s theory on cognitive development is centralized on two key ideas known as scaffolding and the zone of proximal development which will be explored in this essay and how they contribute to the classroom.