6. Vygotsky’s Theory of Cognitive Development

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About this Lecture

Lecture

In this lecture, we think about some key concepts within Vygotsky’s theory of cognitive development, focusing in particular on: (i) Vygotsky’s suggestion that all higher cognitive processes are first developed interpersonally, through social interaction, before they become internalised; (ii) the ‘zone of proximal development’ which describes the gap between a child’s current development and their potential understanding after interacting with a more expert other; (iii) the influence of Vygotsky’s ideas on other areas of psychology, for instance, the relationship between the ‘zone of proximal development’ and the concept of ‘scaffolding’ in educational psychology.

Course

In this course, Dr Richard O’Connor (University of Hull) explores different ideas within the field of cognitive development that go beyond the work of Jean Piaget. In the first lecture, we introduce the violation-of-expectation looking time method as a research technique which has revolutionised our understanding of infant cognition since the 1980s. In the second lecture, we look at the classic violation-of-expectation study by Baillargeon et al. (1985). In the third lecture, we evaluation this research. Next, we think about an alternative set of ideas to Piaget’s theory of cognitive development which focuses on the role of social interactions and culture. In the fifth lecture, we look at the socio-cultural theory of cognitive development proposed by Piaget’s contemporary Lev Vygotsky, focusing on the distinction between ‘elementary’ and ‘higher’ mental functions. In the sixth and final lecture, we think about some key concepts such as the ‘zone of proximal development’.

Lecturer

Dr Richard O’Connor is a cognitive developmental psychology in the Faculty of Health Sciences and School of Psychology and Social Work at the University of Hull. Dr O’Connor’s research interests include theory of mind and word learning. Some of Dr O’Connor’s recent publications include Autistic Adults Show Similar Performance and Sensitivity to Social Cues on a Visual Perspective Taking Task as Non-autistic Adults (In Press) and Stroop interference is a composite phenomenon: Evidence from distinct developmental trajectories of its components (2020).