Lev Vygotsky's sociocultural theory

The Social Origins of Cognitive Development

Lev Vygotsky, known as the sociocultural theorist, believed that a child's cognitive development emerges through their physical interaction with the world.

His theory is based on the premise that support from adults and peers enables the development of higher psychological functions.

Vygotsky argued that a child's initial social interactions drive development, which, when internalized, moves to an individual level.

From this perspective, children are considered learners, acquiring knowledge from more experienced people who understand their needs.

This approach emphasizes that learning is not a solitary process but a deeply social activity that shapes us from our earliest years.

The Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD)

The Zone of Proximal Development is a central concept in this theory and is described as the distance between the current level of development and the potential one.

The current level of development is the one determined by the child's ability to solve problems completely independently, without any kind of help.

On the other hand, the level of potential development is what the child can achieve when collaborating with more capable peers or under the guidance of an adult.

This concept explains why some children perform better in the presence of others with more knowledge, but have more difficulty when they are alone and without support.

The skills that a child can display in a social context, but not in an isolated environment, are those that are within their zone of proximal development.

The Relationship between Thought and Language

Vygotsky also described a relationship that is deeply connected between language development and the thought process in humans.

His theory explains how very young children use speech as a fundamental tool to be able to think out loud, verbalizing their ideas and plans.

This use of language is not simply to communicate with others, but to actively guide and organize one's own behavior and thought processes.

Egocentric speech, as it is known, is not a sign of immaturity, but a crucial step in the development of more complex psychological functions.

The Internalization of Speech as Thinking

As mental concepts and cognitive awareness develop, this process of thinking aloud gradually evolves into silent internal speech.

What was once an external dialogue with the world and with oneself transforms into the internal verbal thinking that characterizes adult cognition.

This process of internalization demonstrates how tools that are social, such as language, become the tools of our individual thinking.

Ultimately, the ability to think in complex and abstract ways is the result of having internalized the interactions and language of our social environment.