Cognitive development theories focus on the child’s thought processes and demonstrate the importance of this, contrary to behaviourist learning theories. Crowley (2014) defines development as how individuals grow and change during their lifespan. This essay will examine the theories of Piaget, whose interest was in the errors that children made, and also Vygotsky, who emphasised the importance of social interaction on development. I will compare the basic concepts of each theory, the theorist’s views on the child, and the themes of nature vs nurture, continuity vs discontinuity, organicism vs mechanism. Later on in the essay, I will evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of each approach.
Piaget views children as “active explorers of their …show more content…
Vygotsky’s theory suggests that there’s an end point to development, if this is reached, it means that the child can think and give reasons by themselves. The ability to do this, Vygotsky thought, was a social process. Therefore, a child starts out at a stage of doing things with others, and eventually reaches a final stage in which they can do things by themselves, Smidt (2009) states Vygotsky called this internalisation. Vygotsky states that children bring elementary mental functions to development, which develop on their own, but when the child eventually learns to speak, and becomes able to interact with others, social interaction then becomes the main influence of development, leading to higher mental functions. Vygotsky saw development as what children could achieve with help from others, leading to the zone of proximal development. Crowley (2014) describes the zone of proximal development as interactions between children and experienced members of their cultures, which aids development. Vygotsky saw private speech, when a child spoke to themselves out loud, as a strong tool of regulating a child’s behaviour, allowing them to reflect on what they’re doing. Pretend play was emphasised by Vygotsky, he thought that this stimulates development, due to them being placed in the zone of proximal development, where they’re carrying out tasks which are harder than what they’re currently capable
Piaget views children as “active explorers of their …show more content…
Vygotsky’s theory suggests that there’s an end point to development, if this is reached, it means that the child can think and give reasons by themselves. The ability to do this, Vygotsky thought, was a social process. Therefore, a child starts out at a stage of doing things with others, and eventually reaches a final stage in which they can do things by themselves, Smidt (2009) states Vygotsky called this internalisation. Vygotsky states that children bring elementary mental functions to development, which develop on their own, but when the child eventually learns to speak, and becomes able to interact with others, social interaction then becomes the main influence of development, leading to higher mental functions. Vygotsky saw development as what children could achieve with help from others, leading to the zone of proximal development. Crowley (2014) describes the zone of proximal development as interactions between children and experienced members of their cultures, which aids development. Vygotsky saw private speech, when a child spoke to themselves out loud, as a strong tool of regulating a child’s behaviour, allowing them to reflect on what they’re doing. Pretend play was emphasised by Vygotsky, he thought that this stimulates development, due to them being placed in the zone of proximal development, where they’re carrying out tasks which are harder than what they’re currently capable