What Characterizes Language That Can Be Internalized: A Reply to Tomasello

Toomela, Aaro

doi:10.1177/1354067x9600200307

Cited by 18 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 4 publications

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“…Every cultural sign (or Bsymbol^; the term that can be used synonymously with Bsign^in this context) is defined by four characteristics (Toomela 1996b). First, a sign must be an object, behavioural act or phenomenon that can be directly perceived through sensory organs.…”

Section: Hpfs Are Mediated By Symbolsmentioning

confidence: 99%

What are Higher Psychological Functions?

Toomela

2015

Integr. psych. behav.

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The concept of Higher Psychological Functions (HPFs) may seem to be well know in psychology today. Yet closer analysis reveals that HPFs are either not defined at all or if defined, then by a set of characteristics not justified theoretically. It is not possible to determine whether HPFs exist or not, unless they are defined. Most commonly the idea of HPFs is related to Vygotsky's theory. According to him, HPFs are: (1) psychological systems, (2) developing from natural processes, (3) mediated by symbols, (4) forms of psychological cooperation, which are (5) internalized in the course of development, (6) products of historical development, (7) conscious and (8) voluntary (9) active forms of adaptation to the environment, (10) dynamically changing in development, and (11) ontogeny of HPFs recapitulates cultural history. In this article these characteristics are discussed together with the relations among them. It is concluded that HPFs are real psychological phenomena.

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Section: Hpfs Are Mediated By Symbolsmentioning

confidence: 99%

What are Higher Psychological Functions?

Toomela

2015

Integr. psych. behav.

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“…I show why semiotic mediation in Vygotskian-but not necessarily Vygotsky's, because we need to go beyond him-sense can emerge only in the social environment. Many of the ideas presented next have been discussed elsewhere as well (Toomela, 1996a(Toomela, , 1996b(Toomela, , 2003. 8…”

Section: The Fundamental Epistemological Differences Between Vygotskimentioning

confidence: 99%

Vygotsky's theory on the Procrustes’ bed of linear thinking: Looking for structural–systemic Theseus to save the idea of ‘social formation of mind’

Toomela

2015

Culture & Psychology

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Today Vygotsky's theory is usually associated with a short list of ideas: which includes social formation of the human mind, zone of proximal development, semiotic mediation, and egocentric and inner speech. Vygotsky's theory contains these and many other ideas indeed. In today's interpretation, however, all the mentioned ideas are transformed into slogans with trivial content or even into a set of statements that contradict many facts known about the functioning of the human body and human mind. Vygotsky relied explicitly on epistemology I have called structural-systemic. According to this epistemology, in order to understand human mind scientifically, its structure needs to be discovered. The studies need to reveal the elements from which the mind is composed, the specific relationships between the elements, and qualities of the whole that emerges in the synthesis of the elements. Only developmental studies can answer these questions because the properties of the elements change when integrated into a whole. His epistemology can be opposed to that dominant today, which aims only to the discovery of relationships between events, to the discovery of ''causes'' that make the ''effect'' to happen. In Vygotskian structural-systemic perspective, the same theoretical ideas acquire meanings very different from modern interpretations.

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“…Language is a social phenomenon, when using language, humans are using symbols (words, charts, diagrams, etc. ) either in ways or in contexts that are different from ways or contexts of utilization of symbol referents (Toomela 1996b). This ability allows humans to build hypotheses about the world beyond senses, to process information in a qualitatively novel way-a way that seems unavailable to any other species inhabiting the earth (Kikas 2003;Toomela 1996aToomela , 2003a.…”

Section: Social Processes In Collaborationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sometimes One is More Than Two: When Collaboration Inhibits Knowledge Construction

Toomela

2007

Integr. psych. behav.

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In this paper I suggest that to better understand knowledge construction in science, and the role of social processes and collaboration in it, it is useful to distinguish between "elaborative knowledge" and "emergent knowledge." Elaborative knowledge is constructed for solving clearly defined problems in established theoretical frameworks, and emergent knowledge refers to the knowledge constructed to reach a hierarchically higher and more complex level of scientific understanding. There are also two types of collaboration. On the one hand there is "dialogical collaboration" in which team members contribute to reaching the common clearly defined objective so that a team as a whole becomes qualitatively more complex than its members alone. On the other hand there is "unidirectional collaboration" where the result of collaboration is determined by one person, should be distinguished. There is evidence from multiple perspectives indicating that "elaborative knowledge" can be developed in both kinds of collaboration and sometimes 'dialogical collaboration" is necessary for knowledge construction. However, for building "emergent knowledge," it is argued, only individual or "unidirectional collaboration" is productive, and "dialogical collaboration" can hinder or even prevent the construction of this kind of knowledge.

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What Characterizes Language That Can Be Internalized: A Reply to Tomasello

Cited by 18 publications

References 4 publications

What are Higher Psychological Functions?

What are Higher Psychological Functions?

Vygotsky's theory on the Procrustes’ bed of linear thinking: Looking for structural–systemic Theseus to save the idea of ‘social formation of mind’

Sometimes One is More Than Two: When Collaboration Inhibits Knowledge Construction

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