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Autumn Dolin CI 634 Vygotsky’s Socio Cultural Theory The focus of Vygotsky’s socio-cultural theory of development is the roles of social and cultural factors in children’s development in general and cognitive and language development in particular. The central themes of his theory emphasize that cognitive development comes as the result of social interaction and thinking is mediated by cultural tools, language being one of the most important cultural tools. Unlike Piaget whose analysis focuses on the individual child, Vygotsky perceives the social environment as an important aspect of children’s thinking and behavior. Another important aspect of Vygotsky’s theory states that higher cognitive development depends what he call the Zone of Proximal Development(ZPD): “a level of development attained when children engage in social behavior”( http://tip.psychology.org/vygotsky.html ) For him, full development occurs through full social interaction. How do social and cultural influences impact thought and development? Russian psychologist Lev Vygotsky, was intrigued by the thought of how the social world effects children, and through his research he founded the socio-cultural theory. Vygotsky believed that “children were living in the midst of other people eager to help them acquire skills needed to live in that culture” (Siegler & Alibali, 2005). There are many focal points to the socio cultural theories. Two points of focus of Vygotsky’s socio-cultural theory are: cognitive development occurs in social interaction, and psychological functioning is mediated by cultural tools, including language (Siegler & Alibali, 2005). Additional themes that have came about in the last few decades emphasize cultural norms influences over children’s opportunities and the fact that social and cultural learning require “particular cognitive abilities on the parts of learners and teachers” (Siegler & Alibali, 2005). Development occurs in social interaction refers to the interactions children directly come on contact with on an everyday occurrence. These interactions are with family members, siblings, babysitters, neighbors, teachers, and even peers. Vygotsky also believed in the concept of the zone of proximal development. The zone of proximal development is defined as the distance between what a child can independently do versus what a child can do with the interaction of a more advanced individual (Siegler &Alibali, 2005). Psychological functioning is mediated by language and other cultural tools explain that behavior is not only molded by social interactions but also by the different cultural tools available. Language is believed to be the tool that regulates behavior, planning, remembering, and problem solving. Today, many educators use tools such as maps, diagrams, songs, and even computers to enhance cognition. Today, society dictates the activities children participate in. Many cultures do not offer schooling, but rather expect children to work. This greatly will affect the type of learning that children of these cultures know versus children of a pro educational society. Vygotsky stated that, "Every function in the child's cultural development appears twice: first, on the social level, and later, on the individual level; first, between people and then inside the child” (psychology.about.com/vygotsky). I agree with this, as well as, Vygotsky’s points of focus. Cognitive development occurs in social interaction, and psychological functioning is mediated by cultural tools, including language is I believe to be the building blocks for children’s cognition. I also agree that development develops within social interactions. I believe that the amount of knowledge obtained during interactions among children is immeasurable. I also believe that language and cultural tools play a large part on a society’s way of life. References Siegler, R. & Alibali, M. (2005). Children’s thinking. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice-Hall,Inc. Cherry, Kendra (2012). What is socio culture theory? About.com Psychology. Retrieved Feb. 9, 2012. Banks, Candace (2011). Vygotsky’s socio culture theory. Tip.psychology.org Retrieved Feb. 11, 2012 Warner, Jennifer. "Childhood development ages and stages." WebMD. WebMD, 2 April, 2012