PSYC1001 Lecture Notes - Lecture 30: Albert Bandura, Social Learning Theory, Lev Vygotsky
2 Jul 2018
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17/05/2018 Social Development
Piaget – throughout development children are learning about the world around them –
sophisticated learning – like a scientist, learn knowledge about the world and apply it
Vygotsky - children are intrinsically social – they interact in social environment – object of
development is the culture around them (their own cultures pattern of thought, not the
world) – implications of cross-cultural variation
To understand development according to Vygotsky, you must look at the child’s behaviour in
the context of which it occurs, you cannot observe the child in isolation
Context: contexts have many levels – ranging from the immediate face-to-face interaction
with another person to general, all-encompassing cultural belief system
Zone of proximal development is the distance between what the child can do on their own
and what they can do with the assistance of others – determined through problem solving
under adult guidance or in collaboration with more capable peers
“Children grow into the intellectual life of those around them” (Vygotsky, 1978)
One focus of research on cultural variation is individualism vs. collectivism
Industrial-Western cultures focus on the individual – individual success, the “self-made man”
Indigenous and Eastern cultures focus more on the collective – group success
Parents have different views of child development in collectivist and individualist countries –
study conducted by Caudill and Weinstein (1969) asked parents what was important aspects
of parenting: in US (infants seen as dependent, and must learn independence), in Japan
(infants are born independent, and must be taught feelings of interdependence with other
people)
Psychological tools: mediate the way individuals interact with their environment and
impacts their life. This includes language systems, counting systems, writing, diagrams,
maps, conventional signs, works of art, strategies for learning, attending or memorising, etc.
Vygotsky focused on language as a psychological tool – speech gets internalised over time,
child develops inner-speech, therefore control own behaviour.
Cultural variation e.g. children in India have a motor-strategy for mental arithmetic because
of abacus training, while US children have a verbal strategy
Sociocultural theory of cognitive development – Vygotsky
oStudy of the “child-in-activity-in-context” – no sense assessing child in isolation, see
what they can do with help from others
oThe “zone of proximal development”
oThe sociocultural origins of mental functioning – similar ways of thinking to those
around them
oThe mediation of intellectual functioning by tools such as language
Bandura’s social learning theory
oBased on S-R theory (learning) but attempts to take into account social/cognitive
variables operating in human development
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Document Summary
Piaget throughout development children are learning about the world around them sophisticated learning like a scientist, learn knowledge about the world and apply it. Vygotsky - children are intrinsically social they interact in social environment object of development is the culture around them (their own cultures pattern of thought, not the world) implications of cross-cultural variation. To understand development according to vygotsky, you must look at the child"s behaviour in the context of which it occurs, you cannot observe the child in isolation. Context: contexts have many levels ranging from the immediate face-to-face interaction with another person to general, all-encompassing cultural belief system. Children grow into the intellectual life of those around them (vygotsky, 1978) One focus of research on cultural variation is individualism vs. collectivism. Industrial-western cultures focus on the individual individual success, the self-made man . Indigenous and eastern cultures focus more on the collective group success.
