Cognitive Development Theories Of Jean Piaget And Lev Vygotsky
Vygotsky strongly believed children’s development stemmed from the influence of the adults in the child’s life. His research focused on adult guidance in promoting progression while emphasizing the culture and social impact on development also known as a sociocultural theory. Vygotsky recognized the importance of brain maturation on development. He believed there were different mental processes Vygotsky called functions. The first is a lower mental function that is biological, which refers to simple ways of learning and reacting to the environment. The second is higher mental functions which humans are unique to. This process refers to cognitive processes that improve learning, reasoning and memory. Another idea in Vygotsky’s theory is that through informal and formal interactions between adults and children, adults are teaching children how their culture interprets the world. He believed physical and cognitive tools were passed along within a culture. Vygotsky proposed the idea that thought and language are codependent during the first few years of life and emphasized the phenomenon called self-talk. He believed children absorb cultural tools in their own distinct, are more capable of performing challenging tasks when assisted by a competent person and thought challenging tasks promote cognitive progression. The last key idea discussed was the influence of play on cognitive