The Collected Works of L. S. Vygotsky: The History of the Development of Higher Mental Functions (Cognition and Language: A Series in Psycholinguistics)

In this volume, readers are introduced to Vygotsky's argument for a theoretical and methodological approach to differentiate A "higher" mental functions from the more basic brain processes that other theorists believed were at the center of the psychological apparatus. The famed Soviet psychologist's view of developmental issues as an intricately woven tapestry of functions includes analyses of: - the development of speech and written language - the mastering of attention and mnemonic skills - self-control and the higher, more cultivated forms of behavior - the cultural age, personality, and world view of children. Front Matter....Pages i-xvii The Problem of the Development of Higher Mental Functions....Pages 1-26 Research Method....Pages 27-63 Analysis of Higher Mental Functions....Pages 65-82 The Structure of Higher Mental Functions....Pages 83-96 Genesis of Higher Mental Functions....Pages 97-119 The Development of Speech....Pages 121-130 Prehistory of the Development of Written Language....Pages 131-148 Development of Arithmetic Operations....Pages 149-152 Mastering Attention....Pages 153-177 The Development of Mnemonic and Mnemotechnical Functions....Pages 179-190 Development of Speech and Thinking....Pages 191-205 Self-Control....Pages 207-219 Cultivation of Higher Forms of Behavior....Pages 221-229 The Problem of Cultural Age....Pages 231-239 Conclusion; Further Research; Development of Personality and World View in the Child....Pages 241-251 Back Matter....Pages 253-294 Vygotsky was a Russian psychologist and one of the most influential psychologists in the world during the 20th century. This volume, the first of six, examines Vygotsky's works involving problems of general psychology, including thinking and speech