Vygotsky’s Sociocultural Theory
Discussion
Vygotsky’s Sociocultural Theory Discussion
Piaget’s deemphasis on language as a source of cognitive
development brought on yet another challenge, this time from
Vygotsky’s sociocultural theory, which stresses the social context
of cognitive development. During early childhood, rapid growth of
language broadens preschoolers’ participation in social dialogues
with more knowledgeable individuals, who encourage them to
master culturally important tasks. Soon children start to
communicate with themselves in much the same way they
converse with others. This greatly enhances their thinking and
ability to control their own behavior. Let’s see how this happens.
Private Speech
TAKE A MOMENT… Watch preschoolers as they play and explore
the environment, and you will see that they frequently talk out
loud to themselves. For example, as Sammy worked a puzzle, he
said, “Where’s the red piece? Now, a blue one. No, it doesn’t fit. Try
it here.”
Piaget ( 1923 / 1926 ) called these utterances egocentric speech,
reflecting his belief that young children have difficulty taking the
perspectives of others. Their talk, he said, is often “talk for self” in
which they express thoughts in whatever form they happen to
occur, regardless of whether a listener can understand. Piaget
believed that cognitive development and certain social

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