Knowra Lev Vygotsky Lev Vygotsky Lev Vygotsky (1896–1934) was a Soviet psychologist who argued that social interaction and cultural tools, especially language, shape the development of thought.
Cultural-historical psychology : An approach to psychology that studies how culture and history shape human mental development. This is the broader framework Vygotsky developed to explain the social origins of higher mental functions.
Zone of proximal development : The range between what a learner can do independently and what the learner can do with guidance or collaboration. Vygotsky used this range to identify abilities emerging through social support.
Russian Revolution : The political upheavals of 1917 that ended imperial rule in Russia and led to Bolshevik power. The revolution and its aftermath shaped the institutions and ambitions surrounding Vygotsky's work.
Sociocultural theory : An approach that explains learning and development through participation in cultural and social practices. This later tradition develops themes central to Vygotsky's account of socially mediated cognition.
Higher mental functions : Voluntary, culturally mediated abilities such as deliberate attention, logical memory, and planning. Vygotsky distinguished these culturally developed abilities from basic psychological functions.
Scaffolding (education) : Temporary support that helps a learner complete a task beyond their unaided ability. Later educational theory gave a practical name to support often associated with Vygotsky's account of learning.
Marxist psychology : Psychological approaches that draw on Marxist ideas about history, social relations, and human activity. Vygotsky sought a psychology grounded in historical and social processes.
Guided participation : Learning through involvement in shared activities with more experienced participants. The concept captures how cultural knowledge is acquired through participation, echoing Vygotskian development.
Psychological tools : Cultural signs and systems, such as language and number notation, that people use to regulate thought and behavior. Vygotsky treated these tools as means by which social practices reshape individual thinking.
Private speech : Self-directed speech spoken aloud, often by children, to guide attention and action. Vygotsky saw it as social speech becoming a tool for self-regulation.
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