Vygotsky’s Theory of Cognitive Development

Question 1

What did Vygotsky believe similarly to Piaget?

Answer 1

That cognitive development occurs in stages

Question 2

What did Vygotsky refer to the “experienced others” that children learn from as?

Answer 2

Experts

Question 3

How did Vygotsky believe Cognitive Development occurred?

Answer 3

By learning from more experienced others or ’experts’

Question 4

What kind of process did Vygotsky describe Cognitive Development as?

Answer 4

A social process

Question 5

What is the Zone of Proximal Development or the ZPD?

Answer 5

The gap between a child’s current level of development and what they have the potential to do

Question 6

How did Vygotsky believe children crossed the ZPD?

Answer 6

With expert assistance

Question 7

How did Vygotsky believe advanced mental functions like formal reasoning could only be achieved?

Answer 7

Through social interaction with expert others

Question 8

What is Scaffolding?

Answer 8

The help given by expert others in order to help children cross their ZPD

Question 9

How many levels of help did Wood, Bruner and Ross identify in terms of scaffolding?

Answer 9

5

Question 10

In order from the highest to the lowest, what are the levels of help in terms of scaffolding?

Answer 10

• Demonstration
• Preparation
• Indication of Materials
• Specific Verbal Instructions
• General Prompts

Question 11

Describe Roazzi and Bryant’s Supporting Sweet Study and their findings

Answer 11

• Gave children aged 4-5 the task of estimating the number of sweets in a box
• In Condition 1 the children worked alone
• In Condition 2 they worked with an older child, who offered prompts in the right direction (an expert other)
• The children in Condition 2 estimated more accurately than those in Condition 1

Question 12

Describe Conner and Cross’s Supporting Scaffolding Study and their findings

Answer 12

• Conducted a longitudinal study observing 45 children engaging in problem-solving tasks with their help of their mothers up
• The study was conducted between the ages of 16 months and 4 1/2 years
• They found that mothers used less direct intervention and more hints and prompts as the children gained more experience

Question 13

What does Vygotsky acknowledge?

Answer 13

Cultural differences in terms of learning

Question 14

What is a potential application of Vygotsky’s Theory and what study does this link to?

Answer 14

• The increased use of peer tutoring and assistance in schools
• Van Keer and Verhaege: found that 7-year-olds tutored by 10-year-olds alongside their lessons progressed further in reading than those who just had lessons

Question 15

How has Vygotsky’s Theory been criticised?

Answer 15

• It relies on inferences
• It is arguably not a fully-formed explanation, as it doesn’t explain why children learn