Download - “Psychology today seems less capable than ever of providing a coherent account of the human mind”
“Psychology today seems less capable than ever of providing
a coherent account of the human mind”
Much contemporary research in psychology does not have
practical implications
We need to: Reformulate the questions we ask so that
disciplinary integration will be natural and necessary
Develop theoretical frameworks that can be understood/extended by a variety of disciplinary perspectives
Formulate methodologies that include participation from a variety of disciplines
Key Definitions
“Teleology”: a doctrine explaining phenomena by reference to goals or purposes
“Semiotics”: the study and general theory of signs and symbols in artificial and natural languages with regard to their relationship to the things they represent, to each other, and to their use
PrerequisitesVoices o f the M ind
W h y M ed ia ted A c tion ?H u m an ac tion typ ica lly em p loys
"m ed ia tion a l m ean s " su ch astoo ls an d lan g u ag e , w h ic h sh ap es ac tion
W h y A c tion ?H u m an s com e in to con tac t w ith
an d c rea te th e ir s u rrou n d in g an dth em se lves th rou g h th e ir ac tion s
W h y V o ices ?Th ere a re m u lt ip le w ays o f rep resen tin g
rea lity in ap p roac h in g a p rob lemTh in k : w h y a re p a rt ic u la r vo ic es "p rivileg ed "?
W h y V o ice?M en ta l fu n c tion in g in th e in d ivid u a lo rig in a tes in soc ia l, com m u n ica tive
p roces s
W h y M in d ?1 .M in d is o ften soc ia lly d is trib u ted
2 .M en ta l fu c tion in g is sh ap ed o r d e fin ed b ym ed ia tion a l m ean s u s ed to ca rry ou t a task
W h y S oc ioc u ltu ra l?To u n d ers tan d h ow m en ta l ac tion
is s itu a ted in cu ltu ra l, h is to rica l, an din s titu t ion a l se tt in g s
A S oc ioc u ltu ra l A p p roachto M ed ia ted A c tion
Themes of Vygotskian Sociocultural Approach to Mediated Action
GENETIC ANALYSIS - Phylogenic Transition
(elementary - higher mental functioning)
Ontogenesis (cultural/ organic devt)
Microgenesis - emerging mental patterns - thought to speech
DOMAIN RELATIONSHIP 1. Principles of Parallelism
(devt across domains simult) but each have own unique set of principles.
CRITICAL MOMENT - bifurcation of development into - Natural Psychological
- Cultural Psychological
Genetic Law of Cultural Devt
Occurs on 2 planes:
SOCIAL - interpsychological or intermental
PSYCHOLOGICAL - intrapsychological or intramental
Zone of Proximal Devt
The distance between: a) Learner’s actual devt level b) Higher level of potential
Teach to the level of POTENTIAL
MEDIATION
Higher mental functioning + Human Action are mediated by TOOLS (tech) + SIGNS (psych tools)
which alters the entire flow & structure of mental functions: determines the structure
of a new instrumental ACT. MEDIATIONAL MEANS originate in
social life.
SEMIOTIC POTENTIALS
SOCIAL SPEECH (external)EGOCENTRIC SPEECH (transitional)INNER SPEECH (internal)
The transition from one to the other r/t the way speech comes to serve as its own context (semiotic potential of language to increase contextualization)
Properties of Speech
SYNTACTIC - Inner has unique abbreviated fragmentory Syntax
SEMANTIC - Structure & Function of Inner & Egocentric differ from Social Speech
Sense predominates over meaning
Fluid, dynamic
Bakhtin’s Influence
VYGOTSKY studied INTRAMENTAL functioning & how conceptual devt emerged in institutionally situated activity eg teacher - student
BAKHTIN’s work extended this by looking at the sociocultural situatedness of mediated action on the INTERMENTAL plane - linked the inner with outer
BAKHTIN
UTTERANCE = unit of analysis in speech with a focus on situated action
VOICE - the speaking consciousness - expresses utterances with a unique point of view (voice)
SPEAKING CONSCIOUSNESS - written/spoken comm - with own perspective, intention, conceptual horizon, world view
VOICES always exist in a SOCIAL MILIEU
ADDRESSIVITY
MEANING requires the VOICE of the listener responding to the VOICE of the speaker/author
TRANSLATED in our minds into an active context = COUNTER WORD
Bakhtin’s Philosophy
“Any true understanding is dialogic in nature.”
Primordial Dialogism of Discourse
A SPEAKER’S concrete UTTERANCES INTERANIMATE the UTTERANCE of another
ALTERNATE in a rhythmic DIALOGUE
INNER SPEECH
Resembles the alternating lines of a DIALOGUE = INNER DIALOGUE
Like an inner transmitting & transmitted VOICE
SOCIAL LANGUAGE
We use different NATIONAL LANGUAGES for varied contexts
SOCIAL USE applies different discourse to specific social stratum in a given social system at a given time
Hybrid Construction
A VOICE uses two speech styles or two semantic belief systems
VENTILOQUATION - a VOICE speaks through another VOICE TYPE in a social language
Why After School Educational Activity is a Major Educational Issue (US)
1. Concern over declines in educational achievement across grade levels
2. Increased after school childcare demands
3. Debate over the consequences of holding children back a grade vs under preparing them for information society
4. Reform of higher education to include service learning opportunities, increasing student proficiency in working w/ new info technologies and increasing courses that expose students to rigorous research
Fifth Dimension
S ite C o-ord in a to r -s ite co-ord in a to r g e ts : work
-su p ervises th e flow o f ac tivity-tra in ed to recog n ize an d su p p ort p ed ag og y
-fou n d som e d ifficu lty ru n n in g a cou rseyear rou n d , com p u te r access issu es fo r
s tu d en ts , sch ed u lin g ch aos
U n ivers ity-s tu d en ts : g e t cou rse c red it an d focu s on
fie ld work an d rea l life exp erien ce-research ers g e t: work
S ch oo l A g ed C h ild ren-ch ild ren g e t: p lay, p eer in te rac tion , lea rn in g
- s ta ffin g su p p ort g en era llyq u ite m od es t
-lead s to h ig h leve l o ftu rn over
Th e C om m u n ity -s ta ff: g e t w ork
-com m u n ity g e ts : en rich ed ed u cation a lexp erien ces fo r ch ild ren
F ifth D im en s ionP artic ip an ts
Importance of Goal Formation
such collaborations need common goals
easiest at the highest level: to provide enriched educational experiences
more difficult at the specific level
Notion of Leading Activity
individual goals/personal motivatione.g. undergrads – the fundamental
motivation course credit
The Role of Discoordination
Discoordination and conflict are inevitablee.g. from community staff – the “formal”
demands for regular staffing, upkeep of equipment and different ways for adults and children to interact (non-hierarchical and non directive)
The Centrality of Communicative Practices and Mediational Means
Vygotsky: “thought is completed in the word”
thus, emphasized interactions where participants had to pause to comment on their problem solving in oral or written reflections
computer mediated communication was essential to interaction among experimental systems in different locations