Book Description
Since it was introduced to the English-speaking world in 1962, Lev Vygotsky's highly original exploration of human mental development has become recognized as a classic foundational work of cognitive science. Vygotsky analyzes the relationship between words and consciousness, arguing that speech is social in its origins and that only as children develop does it become internalized verbal thought.
Now Alex Kozulin has created a new edition of the original MIT Press translation by Eugenia Hanfmann and Gertrude Vakar that restores the work's complete text and adds materials that will help readers better understand Vygotsky's meaning and intentions. Kozulin has also contributed an introductory essay that offers new insight into the author's life, intellectual milieu, and research methods.
Lev S. Vygotsky (1896-1934) studied at Moscow University and acquired in his brief lifespan a nearly encyclopedic knowledge of the social sciences, psychology, philosophy, linguistics, literature, and the arts. He began his systematic work in psychology at the age of 28, and within a few years formulated his theory of the development of specifically human higher mental functions. He died of tuberculosis ten years later, and Thought and Language was published posthumously in 1934.
Alex Kozulin studied at the Moscow Institute of Medicine and the Moscow Institute of Psychology, where he began his investigation of Vygotsky and the history of Soviet psychology. He emigrated in 1979 and is now Associate Professor of Psychiatry (Psychology) at Boston University. He is the author of Psychology in Utopia: Toward a Social History of Soviet Psychology (MIT Press 1984).
Customer Reviews:
Change your life.......2006-01-18
Being a trainer and an academic co-ordinator, I find that Vygostky is an essential reader for all trainers / teachers. He helps you understand how to teach better, how to use peer learning and when used with experiential learning gives the best results.
Fantastic.......2002-08-24
The only thing I can say about this book and the author is that this man was a genius! Worth every second spent reading it!
A landmark..........2002-04-04
Vygotsky, who was a contemporary of Piaget, unfortunately never received nearly as much attention while still alive. Probably due to the fact that he was working in Russia and had a relatively short career his work seems to have taken a very long time to even get published for 'western' consumption. His theories also go against the grain of the dogma currently in vogue in psychology.
This book gives a brief overview of Vygotsky's life and career. Then it launches into Vygotsky's original manuscript which begins with a critique of some of the central themes of that time; oddly enough those themes are still being pursued by psychologists today. Vygotsky's critique is very interesting and demonstrates a very broad range of understanding of psychological, physical and philosophical knowledge throughout the section.
The second part of the book then advances Vygotsky's theories of thought and language development. And that is the crux of Vygotsky's theory: thought and language each develop in a manner that one might characterize as partially self-catalyzing in addition to behaving as one. Vygotsky also advanced some important ideas about child potential with his "zone of proximal development".
Vygotsky pointed out that development hinges on the social structure surrounding the child and is not similar to the idea of some computer operating system simply requiring some type of "load" instruction. That is, Vygotsky's work seems to dispel some of the hot air surrounding Chomsky's ideas about "deep grammar" structures existing and just waiting for the instructions to start working; instead thought and language develop, sometimes separately and sometimes requiring each other to act as catalysts.
Given recent advances in primate language studies, complex adaptive systems and Wittgenstein's contributions to the philosophy of systems I believe Vygotsky's work becomes all the more important and relevant. We are only just starting to grasp the importance of thinking about development in a systems mode as opposed to the old way of reductionism (and the weird dogmatic offshoot of this: strict materialism).
This is a must-read for anyone interested in learning about how we develop. Other interesting ideas and overviews can be found in Bogdan's "Minding Minds" and Faber's "Objectivity and Human Perception". Then there is the burgeoning field of complexity where a good general overview can be found in "Signs of Life". And for those who really want to get deeper, read some of the recent work done in EEG and meditation to help kids with ADD and other problems.
The behavior of cognition.......2002-03-04
A contemporary of Piaget (developmental psychology)and Watson (behaviorism), Vygotsky launches a cogent critique and synthesis of these two scientific schools. His asserting that learning leads development is as fresh and valuable today as it was when he first wrote the text. Secondly, his calling for a functional analysis of language has been pursued only by the behavioral schools; a short-fall of cognitive and developmental psychology which focuses on the structure of language and hypothetical constructs of brain functioning. Vygotsky relied on observable behavior under contrived and natural conditions in developing his model of socially mediated learning. Although he does a bit of theorizing, his view of learning speech and thought--a skill taught and mediated by social forces--is an excellent bridge between the two schools of thought mentioned above. This book should be required reading for developmental psychologists, educators and behaviorists alike.
One of the most important book in the history of psychology.......1999-11-03
In the 1920s Vygotsky had already seen simmilarities between the Old Freud and the Young Piaget, and beguins this book with a rejection of primary narcissism that has, since Melany Klein, influenced many psychoanalyists. He then corrects Piaget's theory on thought and language in a way that has imposed itself since the book has been transalated. To my knowledge this is the first complete transalation of this classic.
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Mappings in Thought and Language
Gilles Fauconnier
Manufacturer: Cambridge University Press
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From Molecule to Metaphor: A Neural Theory of Language (Bradford Books)
ASIN: 0521599539 |
Book Description
Meaning in everyday thought and language is constructed at lightning speed. We are not conscious of the staggering complexity of the cognitive operations that drive our simplest behavior. This book reveals the creativity that underlies our effortless use of language in everyday life, when we engage in conversation, understand humor, or solve puzzles. The capacities and principles that we develop from infancy for ordinary thinking and talking are also the ones that drive scientific and artistic thought, high-level reasoning, and conceptual change. Researchers and graduate students in linguistics, cognitive science, and philosophy of language will find this text to be a fascinating addition to their collections.
Book Description
What keeps people from living in ways that satisfy their individual needs and priorities? In this book, noted clinical psychologist Robert W. Firestone sets forth the theory--synthesizing psychodynamic and existential approaches to the psyche--underlying his voice therapy methodology. From childhood, Firestone maintains, humans are prevented from experiencing an individuated life by the pressures of society and destructive interactions within the family. The goal of voice therapy is to uncover the insidious forces--represented by internal messages, called voices--that limit humans. Firestone's technique, grounded in clinical research, helps the client to reveal these voices quickly, recognize their detrimental source, and begin the path to a meaningful life. In addition to laying theoretical foundations, this book emphasizes the use of voice therapy in direct practice with couples, parents, and individuals and expands these theories to consider existential and social concerns such as death anxiety and ethnic conflict. Therapists seeking to expand their techniques will find in this book a unique advancement on traditional psychodynamic models. Combating Destructive Thought Processes offers a methodology of interest to professionals in psychology, clinical psychology, counseling, social work, and developmental psychology.
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"His theory of child development has influenced the way millions of school children have been taught." --Times Literary Supplement
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Art As Language: Access to Thoughts and Feelings Through Stimulus Drawings
Rawley Silver
Manufacturer: TAYLOR & FRANCIS/ ROUTLEDGE
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ASIN: 1583910514 |
Book Description
Art as Language merges a user-friendly format and the unique assessment and treatment practices long-associated with Art Therapist, Rawley Silver. The book begins with an explanation of the author's unique approach to assessment, "Silver Drawing Test of Cognition and Adjustment." Through the use of case studies and more than 150 illustrations of patient artwork, the author summarizes findings of cognitive development and art therapy practices.
Book Description
Essentialism is the idea that certain categories, such as "dog," "man," or "intelligence," have an underlying reality or true nature that gives objects their identity. Where does this idea come from? In this book, Susan Gelman argues that essentialism is an early cognitive bias. Young children's concepts reflect a deep commitment to essentialism, and this commitment leads children to look beyond the obvious in many converging ways: when learning words, generalizing knowledge to new category members, reasoning about the insides of things, contemplating the role of nature versus nurture, and constructing causal explanations. Gelman argues against the standard view of children as concrete or focused on the obvious, instead claiming that children have an early, powerful tendency to search for hidden, non-obvious features of things. She also attacks claims that children build up their knowledge of the world based on simple, associative learning strategies, arguing that children's concepts are embedded in rich folk theories. Parents don't explicitly teach children to essentialize; instead, during the preschool years, children spontaneously construct concepts and beliefs that reflect an essentialist bias. Essentialist accounts have been offered, in one form or another, for thousands of years, extending back at least to Aristotle and Plato. Yet this book is the first to address the issues surrounding essentialism from a psychological perspective. Gelman synthesizes over 15 years of empirical research on essentialism into a unified framework and explores the broader lessons that the research imparts concerning, among other things, human concepts, children's thinking, and the ways in which language influences thought. This volume will appeal to developmental, cognitive, and social psychologists, as well as to scholars in cognitive science and philosophy.
Product Description
Jam-packed with wonderful language activities, this book provides parents and teachers with a year's course of oral language study for children who do not yet read or who are just beginning to read. Learn how to turn every day experiences into valuable learning experiences. Lights the spark of creativity in the parent as well as the student. Working together in the home schooling movement, Beechick and Nelson saw a need to help homeschool parents round out beginning programs with rich language experiences. This book is the result of the collaboration of their educational expertise.
Customer Reviews:
Good as a Checklist.......2007-04-25
This is not a book that is likely to be appreciated by those who feel the need to do "school at home" and/or major academics with their kindergartners. It IS a resource that will be appreciated by those homeschoolers who prefer a more laid-back "lifestyle" approach to homeschooling but would like something to help keep them on track.
The activities described in this text are organized into "units," making them easy to find even if you don't actually DO them as units. They are simple, "time with mommy," real-life types of activities. Most young children will find them fun. Although most of them are ideas that many mothers COULD come up with on our own, many of them are also easily overlooked (especially once you have several children and can't remember who knows what). It had never crossed my mind, for example, to introduce my preschooler to nutritional vocabulary (such as the wording on food labels), despite the fact that our family is very conscious of these concepts and eats a very healthy diet.
I gave the book four stars instead of five due to two factors. First, the telephone section needs updating. (Is anyone actually still on a party line?) Second, I would have preferred a different collection of reading selections in the stories and poetry sections. Some of the stories/poems are good, but we will be skipping over many of them.
Not the Best Resource.......2003-01-18
I gave this book 3 stars because it is average. It isn't a rotten resource, but it isn't one of the best I've seen either.
I suppose if you aren't planning on homeschooling and are looking for ideas on how to help get your pre-schooler ready to learn in school and want to maximize what little time you may be able to spend with your child, this book would be good for you. If you homeschool, you may find this book a ho-hum resource.
It is redundant considering what we have already been learning as part of a well-rounded curriculum in our homeschool. The book suggests things most homeschool families already do-- they already read stories together, try to memorize worthwhile poems, talk WITH children (not AT), cook together, shop together, look for opportunities to learn together, etc.
The activities this book suggests that WOULDN'T be routine family activities for a homeschool family WOULD be covered in homeschool/preschool during readiness games, lessons and workbooks, pre-school math, etc. They would also be more thoroughly done in that medium, with less work on behalf of the parent-teacher.
One last note: I found the stories at the beginning a little too rough to share with my pre-schooler. I feel some fables/stories will never be worthwhile to share with that age, no matter how long they have been around. (How do you read a story ending with most of the characters having their head snapped off by a fox to a 3.5 year old? I know I don't want to be up with a child having nightmares, and don't want to see the child acting it out in make believe play, so why bother with those things when there are so many other wonderful stories available?)
I will be returning this book, knowing I'm not going to take the time to dig it out and flip through it for the handful of ideas that may be useful to our homeschool.
I think for people who are just making the switch to homeschooling or want ideas for things to do with their young children, this book will do just fine. For people who are looking for a real curriculum (as this book claims to be for the younger set), remember you get what you pay for, and 8$ for a year's curriculum probably will not be what you are hoping it will be. You will find a better bang for your buck with other sources.
language, thinking and more for everyone.......2001-05-24
This manual can be used for the entire family. The author's give real-life examples and, thus, make learning fun. For example, when one is introducing someone, my children dressed as an older person, a dad and mother. They would then practice introducing several people in orderof importance. I.E. older people first, ladies and then men. The author's suggested doing this as a way to add fun to the practice. A second example, is practicing prepositions. In this activity, the author suggested making a circle on the floor with a jumping rope. Then using commands with prepositions. For example, I told my children to put their hand in the rope. Other activities include reading classic fables, which are included in the book, vocabulary and thinking skills, language games, memorizing, learning about telephones, enjoying poetry and learning on trips. My children, ages, 3, 7 and 8 have enjoyed this book.
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The Social Foundations of Language and Thought: Essays in Honor of Jerome S. Bruner
Manufacturer: W W Norton & Co Inc
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ASIN: 0393013030 |
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Child Discourse (Language, Thought, and Culture)
Manufacturer: Academic Press
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ASIN: 0122419502 |
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