Vygotsky’s Theory of Cognitive Development (AQA A Level Psychology): Flashcards
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Define zone of proximal development (ZPD).
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Cards in this collection (25)
Define zone of proximal development (ZPD).
The zone of proximal development is the gap between what a child can currently do unaided and what they could achieve with the right guidance. It presents an aspirational model of a child's potential.
According to Vygotsky, what lies at the centre of a child's cognitive development?
Social interaction, with adults playing a key role. This contrasts with Piaget, who saw cognitive development as an innate, maturation-based process.
Define More Knowledgeable Other (MKO).
A More Knowledgeable Other is an adult, such as a parent or teacher, who guides and assists a child so they can go beyond their current level of achievement.
Vygotsky saw as the main tool through which the MKO transmits understanding.
Vygotsky saw language as the main tool through which the MKO transmits understanding.
True or False?
Vygotsky believed children can progress intellectually through discovery learning alone.
False.
Vygotsky argued that children cannot progress intellectually without the help of an MKO, so they need more than discovery learning to deepen their understanding.
Vygotsky called children 'little apprentices'. What did Piaget call them?
Piaget called children 'little scientists' who explore their world individually, whereas Vygotsky's 'little apprentices' learn through social interaction and the guidance of an MKO.
Define scaffolding.
Scaffolding is the process by which the MKO offers constructive help and guidance to a child so that a particular task or skill can be completed or practised. The support is specific to the needs of each child.
Who coined the term 'scaffolding'?
Wood, Bruner and Ross (1976) coined the term to explain how Vygotsky saw children's learning as being supported like scaffolding, then gradually taken away as the structure underneath gets stronger.
Name the five aspects of scaffolding identified by Wood, Bruner and Ross (1976).
Recruitment, reduction of degrees of freedom, direction maintenance, marking critical features and demonstration.
In scaffolding, means engaging the child's interest in the task.
In scaffolding, recruitment means engaging the child's interest in the task.
In scaffolding, what is meant by 'reduction of degrees of freedom'?
Focusing the child on the task and where to start with solving it.
True or False?
'Direction maintenance' means showing the child how to do aspects of the task.
False.
Direction maintenance means encouraging the child to stay motivated and keep trying. Showing the child how to do aspects of the task is demonstration.
What happens to scaffolding as a child becomes more skilled and confident?
It is gradually withdrawn until the child can complete the task independently. The child may depend on it heavily at first.
What did Conner and Cross (2003) find about the help mothers gave over time?
Over three years of problem-solving tasks, mothers used less direct intervention and more hints and prompts as children gained competence, offering help only when it was needed.
Roazzi and Bryant (1998) found most 4–5-year-olds mastered a sweet-estimating task when working with an older child.
Roazzi and Bryant (1998) found most 4–5-year-olds mastered a sweet-estimating task when working with an older 'expert' child.
What did Shvarts and Bakker (2019) conclude about scaffolding in the ZPD?
Scaffolding within a child's ZPD may trigger further developmental milestones and lead to qualitative change far beyond the initial scaffolding period.
Give two educational strategies based on Vygotsky's ideas.
Group work, peer tutoring and individual adult assistance are all based on Vygotsky's ideas.
True or False?
Van Keer and Verhaeghe (2005) found that peer tutoring improved reading.
True.
7-year-olds tutored by 10-year-olds, in addition to whole-class teaching, progressed further in reading than controls receiving standard teaching alone.
What did Alborz et al. (2009) conclude about teaching assistants?
Teaching assistants are very effective at improving children's learning, provided they receive appropriate training.
Why is Vygotsky's theory said to have good external validity?
It places the child within social and cultural contexts, reflecting how children actually learn, surrounded by parents, teachers and peers.
Why is scaffolding difficult to test scientifically?
Scaffolding is individual by nature, so it is hard to operationalise and measure. What works for one child may not work for another.
How did Howe et al. (1992) challenge Vygotsky's theory?
Children working in groups reached different conclusions from the same discussion. This suggests learning from interaction is individual, so Vygotsky wrongly assumed the same processes apply to all children.
How did Rogoff (1990) criticise Vygotsky's theory?
Scaffolding depends largely on verbal instruction, which may not be relevant in all cultures, so the theory lacks cultural relativism.
Vygotsky's theory exemplifies the side of the nature vs nurture debate.
Vygotsky's theory exemplifies the nurture side of the nature vs nurture debate.
True or False?
Vygotsky's theory is entirely nomothetic.
False.
It aims to establish universal principles such as the ZPD, but the individual tailoring of scaffolding introduces an idiographic element.
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