Over the course of surveying the wide range of theories concerning cognitive development in children, there are a few that stand out when it comes to answering some of the more difficult questions and concerns of understanding development. So far in this semester we have had the chance to develop ideas about a few of these theories, and I seek today to use two of them to address issues that often arise when considering these processes. Two of the founding theorists of cognitive development are Jean Piaget and Lev Vygotsky, and their perspectives—constructionist stages of development and sociocultural approaches, respectively—can be used to address the following developmental concerns. Firstly, when considering cognitive advances, how do these
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This is something that has come up quite often over the course of our semester so far as we strive to understand the ways in which development is universal. It is universally known that each human being has a unique mind and set of experiences, but we are still able to find distinct communal patterns in the way that we develop in childhood. Piaget did not give much thought to the notion of individuality in his research and theorizing in cognitive development. He established a rigid timeline of development, as seen in lecture—sensorimotor, pre-operational, concrete, and formal operational stages. This structure does not allow for much leeway when it comes to individual experiences. Vygotsky had a more liberal understanding of development when it came to individuality, as seen in lecture, but it held more bearing with each child’s unique environment rather than the distinctiveness of the child themselves. Not much was said concerning the influence of a child’s individual traits and behaviors on the way they receive information from the older members of their society through processes such as cultural tools and scaffolding (Siegler & Alibali, forthcoming, ch. 4) Despite that, the differences in each child’s environment allowed them an entirely diverse experience and set of skills. Comparing Piaget and Vygotsky, it is clear that the latter takes more seriously into …show more content…
In all theories of development, it is widely accepted that varying cultures affect the outcomes of a child’s progress in learning and understanding. Despite that, however, there are still similarities in the themes of development that traverse all cultures, and time as well. When it comes to our theories, Piaget and Vygotsky differ greatly on this matter. Piaget did not give much thought to cultural differences, instead adhering to a very rigid understanding of development that did not account for differences such as environment, culture, or individuality—based on our discussion in section. Vygotsky, however, took culture heavily into account when considering child’s development—and this is to be expected, considering he was the founding theorist of the sociocultural perspective. Vygotsky’s view indicates that the experiences a child has in their life, specifically in the role-models, teachers, and caretakers, greatly influences their growth and development throughout their lifetime. (Siegler & Alibali, forthcoming, ch. 4). This understanding can also be supported by the evidence of cultural tools: both physical and psychological means of implementing information within members of a culture. The most prominent example of this is language, which we know already varies widely across cultures. These tools offer individual very different skill sets, depending on what tasks are most
This is something that has come up quite often over the course of our semester so far as we strive to understand the ways in which development is universal. It is universally known that each human being has a unique mind and set of experiences, but we are still able to find distinct communal patterns in the way that we develop in childhood. Piaget did not give much thought to the notion of individuality in his research and theorizing in cognitive development. He established a rigid timeline of development, as seen in lecture—sensorimotor, pre-operational, concrete, and formal operational stages. This structure does not allow for much leeway when it comes to individual experiences. Vygotsky had a more liberal understanding of development when it came to individuality, as seen in lecture, but it held more bearing with each child’s unique environment rather than the distinctiveness of the child themselves. Not much was said concerning the influence of a child’s individual traits and behaviors on the way they receive information from the older members of their society through processes such as cultural tools and scaffolding (Siegler & Alibali, forthcoming, ch. 4) Despite that, the differences in each child’s environment allowed them an entirely diverse experience and set of skills. Comparing Piaget and Vygotsky, it is clear that the latter takes more seriously into …show more content…
In all theories of development, it is widely accepted that varying cultures affect the outcomes of a child’s progress in learning and understanding. Despite that, however, there are still similarities in the themes of development that traverse all cultures, and time as well. When it comes to our theories, Piaget and Vygotsky differ greatly on this matter. Piaget did not give much thought to cultural differences, instead adhering to a very rigid understanding of development that did not account for differences such as environment, culture, or individuality—based on our discussion in section. Vygotsky, however, took culture heavily into account when considering child’s development—and this is to be expected, considering he was the founding theorist of the sociocultural perspective. Vygotsky’s view indicates that the experiences a child has in their life, specifically in the role-models, teachers, and caretakers, greatly influences their growth and development throughout their lifetime. (Siegler & Alibali, forthcoming, ch. 4). This understanding can also be supported by the evidence of cultural tools: both physical and psychological means of implementing information within members of a culture. The most prominent example of this is language, which we know already varies widely across cultures. These tools offer individual very different skill sets, depending on what tasks are most