Vygotsky Vs
Stephanie Terando
January 20, 2013
Honors Biology 9
Period 4
Science Fair Research Paper People spend thousands of dollars a year on food, trying to get the best food for the least amount of money. The experiment I conducted tests if a person’s subconscious mind matches the price of food to the food’s quality. By using the Placebo Effect, I told the test participants that three bowls of the same ice cream were all of a different price; the subjects then filled out a questionnaire about the three bowls of ice cream with just the knowledge of its’ price and how it tasted. Lev Vygotsky grew up in Russia in 1896. Even though he graduated from law school, he chose to not make law his profession, and instead became a teacher. Vygotsky was a firm supporter of the Russian Revolution, and wrote an article in 1930, “The Socialist Alteration of Man.” In this book, he stated his opinion on how a transformation of society was needed to become more beneficial. He was very adamant on forming a “Marxist Psychology.” He applied this way of thinking towards discovering the nature of human psychology.
Vygotsky’s early work at Moscow State University confirmed his view of the social plasticity of human psychology. The warfare of the Russian revolution left many victims suffering from a variety of somatic and psychological traumas. Vygotsky worked with these patients and saw that many of these traumas could be treated with social artifacts. Braille and sign language were obvious social artifacts that helped compensate for physical impairments in vision and hearing. Social support in the form of direct aid, guidance, and encouragement also helped compensate for physical and psychological disabilities. Socially mediated compensations enabled patients to engage in psychological functions such as reading, communicating, reasoning, and remembering (Vygotsky & Luria, 1930/1993, pp. 213-218). Tone deafness can be successfully treated by teaching individuals to recognize sounds.
January 20, 2013
Honors Biology 9
Period 4
Science Fair Research Paper People spend thousands of dollars a year on food, trying to get the best food for the least amount of money. The experiment I conducted tests if a person’s subconscious mind matches the price of food to the food’s quality. By using the Placebo Effect, I told the test participants that three bowls of the same ice cream were all of a different price; the subjects then filled out a questionnaire about the three bowls of ice cream with just the knowledge of its’ price and how it tasted. Lev Vygotsky grew up in Russia in 1896. Even though he graduated from law school, he chose to not make law his profession, and instead became a teacher. Vygotsky was a firm supporter of the Russian Revolution, and wrote an article in 1930, “The Socialist Alteration of Man.” In this book, he stated his opinion on how a transformation of society was needed to become more beneficial. He was very adamant on forming a “Marxist Psychology.” He applied this way of thinking towards discovering the nature of human psychology.
Vygotsky’s early work at Moscow State University confirmed his view of the social plasticity of human psychology. The warfare of the Russian revolution left many victims suffering from a variety of somatic and psychological traumas. Vygotsky worked with these patients and saw that many of these traumas could be treated with social artifacts. Braille and sign language were obvious social artifacts that helped compensate for physical impairments in vision and hearing. Social support in the form of direct aid, guidance, and encouragement also helped compensate for physical and psychological disabilities. Socially mediated compensations enabled patients to engage in psychological functions such as reading, communicating, reasoning, and remembering (Vygotsky & Luria, 1930/1993, pp. 213-218). Tone deafness can be successfully treated by teaching individuals to recognize sounds.
Bibliography: Bloom B. S. (1956). Taxonomy of Educational Objectives, Handbook. The Cognitive Domain. New York: David McKay Co Inc. Bradbury J (2004) Taste Perception: Cracking the Code. PLoS Biol 2(3): e64. doi:10.1371/journal.pbio.0020064 Carrol, Robert T Dave, R. H. (1975). Developing and Writing Behavioral Objectives. (R. J. Armstrong, ed.). Tucson, Arizona: Educational Innovators Press. Ratner, C. (1991). Vygotsky 's sociohistorical psychology and its contemporary applications. New York: Plenum. Talbot, Margaret. (2000). The Placebo Prescription. New York Times Magazine, 2000. Van der Veer, R., & Valsiner, J. (1991). Understanding Vygotsky: A quest for synthesis. Cambridge, England: Blackwell. Vygotsky, L. S. (1997a). Collected works (Vol. 3). New York: Plenum. Vygotsky, L., & Luria, A. (1993). Studies on the history of behavior. Ape, primitive, and child. Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum. (Original work published 1930)