Big Picture
Module seven was about Cognitive theories of development, meaning that it looked at different models for how the brain organizes and integrates new information with existing knowledge. It specifically looked at the work of Jean Piaget and Lev Vygotsky during the twentieth century. Piaget credited thinking to four factors: capability to learn, active self-discovery, interactions (especially between same ages), and the idea of maintaining cognitive balance. Vygotsky created the metaphor of Zone of Proximal Development. His main tenet is that a more developed individual uses tools and provides a “scaffolding” to support the gradual internalization of information by the less developed individual. The role of play is also brought up, and is cited by both Piaget and Vygotsky.
Question/What else do you want to know?
I wanted to learn more about the role of language in cognitive development. The book states that Piaget thought thinking comes before language, while Vygotsky thought of language as thinking’s base. These two concepts seem irreconcilable, and I was curious if anyone after them took one side or the other. Also, the book says both agree that humans think in words, but I am curious to know if anyone contradicted that theory too. Especially during learning a different language, I want to know if thought and (internal) speech become separate entities at any point.
Why is play beneficial? Reasons from each theorist.
Play is definitely beneficial to young students. It is related to the development of their social skills and academic success. Piaget thought of pretend play as evidence that the child had reached the end of the sensorimotor stage and therefore had the ability to use and understand symbols. He thought of pretend play as an individual activity, and that the child alone invented the symbols used. Vygotsky considered all pretend play to be an individual and social phenomenon. For him, imaginative play creates a Zone of Proximal Development in which children push themselves past their own level of development and into higher cognitive levels of function.
I like your opening line, connecting the brain language to the more psychological theories of cognitive development. :)
ReplyDeleteYou may have noticed that Module 7 is all about language. We're not covering it because of space, but you should look over the chapter if you can. Lots of people take particular sides on the language issue (try a Google Scholar search to find some research articles). I've always liked the philosopher Wittgenstein and his private language argument.
Think about what we know about the brain as a potential way of answering the question. We know that there are different kinds of information processing in the brain. So, someone SHOULD be able to 'think in emotions', or something close to that. Perhaps? People can think in ways that do not use language processing centers in their brain, and people think in ways that aren't conscious. HOWEVER, think about 'cells that fire together wire together'. If you first hear the word 'hug' when you're given a hug (and almost every time this happens at a very young age), then the neurons that fire when you think, say, or hear the word 'hug' will fire when you're also thinking of the feeling of a hug, or picturing a hug, or receiving a hug.