By: Rudy Broe and Marie Bergez

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“The very essence of human memory is that human beings actively remember with the help of signs. It is a general truth that the special character of human behavior is that human beings actively manipulate their relation to the environment, and through the environment they change their own behavior, subjugating, it to their control. The very essence of civilization consists in the fact that we deliberately build monuments so as not to forget. In the monument, we see the most profound, most characteristic and most important feature which distinguishes human from animal memory.”

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By the end of this presentation, viewers will have a greater understanding and appreciation for one of the greatest psychologists of the 20th century – Vygotsky!› We will discuss who this man was › The theories he developed

Specifically dealing with the capabilities of higher and lower mental functions.

› Show how our tests supported or refuted his theories on a child’s mental development

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Lived from 1896 to 1934 Born in Czarist Russia Jewish Russian Psychologist In 1917 became a teacher 1922 Stalin came to

power Died of tuberculosis 180 works Works had a huge impact

on educational psychology

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Lower mental function: Elementary perception, memory, attention, and will. These do not disappear in a mature psyche but are structured and organized according to specifically human social goals and means of conduct.

Higher mental function: Memory, perception, and attention, to be studied in terms of how they are organized in concrete human activity, and how this organization changes as a function of social conditions and development.

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“Elementary functions are said to be characteristic of purely animal, in contrast to human, psychological functioning. Elementary functions develop and mature as the organism develops physically”

“With human children, psychological development is not limited to the natural evolution of elementary mental functions with which it is endowed by nature. The child comes to develop higher mental functions which are distinctively human in kind.”

“The character of each psychological capacity is determined by the developing relations it bears to the others. As a child develops this system, so it’s innate, elementary functions are totally reconstructed or cease to exist all together.”

“From the outset, Vygotsky stressed how the creation of a sign vastly broadens the horizons of the human mind. Signs enable us to master our own psychological functioning.”

“We employ signs to draw attention, to aid recall, to represent problems in a way that facilitates their solution and so on. Hence, Vygotsky concluded, the key to the higher psychological functioning lies in the mediating role of the sign.”

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Words to Know Psychological tools- mental artificial formations;

master the natural behavior and cognitive process of an individual.

Mediation - human beings purposefully interpose tools between them and their environment, in order to modify it and obtain certain benefits.

Cognitive Development - a wide variety of thought processes and intellectual abilities.

Internalization – process of acceptance of set of norms established by people or groups which are influential to individual

Zone of Proximal Development – gap between actual competence level and potential development level

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According to Vygotsky… Younger children use a more primitive mental

function, so they remember objects simply as images with no relation to other objects. If they use elementary mental functions they will not use a psychological tool. However, they will be able to remember more objects than older children because the lower mental function facilitates their ability to remember individual images.

Older children who use psychological tools to aid their memories will remember more objects than younger children who are relying on the type of memory available as a lower mental function.

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Our Experiment Tested a child’s mental capacity to retain images, and

tested whether this capacity differed depending on the child’s stage of development.

We tested seven first graders and seven fifth graders using twenty images that could be organized into five different groups and in each group four categories.

Children attended HFN We performed two separate tests that required the

children to memorize all twenty of the images; the second test incorporated a psychological tool.

We scored the children based on the number of images remembered and the order the images were recalled in.

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Our Hypothesis The first graders will score higher on the first test and

the fifth graders will score lower than the first graders. When given a psychological tool on the second test, the

fifth graders will remember more of the images than the first graders.

In general, children who use our psychological tool to mediate memory will remember more objects than children who do not use our psychological tool.

More older children than younger children will use a psychological tool.

More older children than younger children will apply the psychological tool they were taught.

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Rubric

Example of Group RB & MB

Scripts First Test

› Placed 20 images in front of child

› Asked child to remember images and told them they would need to recall them after a minute.

› Looked at pictures for 1:00 minute.

› Recorded images child recalled.

Second Test› Placed 20 images in

front of child› Explained our

psychological tool › Child organized the

pictures using our psychological tool

› Looked at pictures for 1:00 minute

› Recorded images child recalled

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First Grade Fifth Grade

Child Test #1 How Remembered Child Test #1 Reason Remembered

Cole Age: 7 13

Because I can't stuff a lot in my brain. When I saw things, I remembered the things I

wanted.

Natalie Age: 10 13 I tried to connect animals to

homes and famililes.

Emmanuel Age: 7 17 I just looked at them. Tracey

Age:10 17I would use key words to remember all the stuff.

(Haystack: hay and polar bear.)

Kevin Age: 7 17 I look at them and I memorize

and I didn't stop.Katrina Age: 10 17 Just looked at the pictures.

Gabriel Age: 6 22 I looked at them twice Lauren

Age: 10 24 Every animal had a little animal.

Vanessa Age: 6 13 I saw when you took away and I

remembered it. Soomin Age:10 25I remembered they were

familiar pictures. (last year did a similar thing)

Gloria Age: 6 12 Pointing at the pictures helped

me remember.Mellissa

Age: 10 27I tried to look at the image of the

whole thing and the names of the things in my head.

John Age: 7 23

Because I can remember anything. It takes a lot of

confidence to do this. Myriah Age: 10 32 Just looked at the pictures.

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Round 1 – Interesting subject

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First grades saw images individually› looked up and down the rows in order not finding

connection 5/7 Fifth graders demonstrated having higher

mental functions by creating their own psychological tools to organize the photos.

First graders showed no signs of using psychological tools, nor did they explain a pattern in which they remembered.

Fifth graders remember more overall.

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First Grade Fifth Grade

Child Test #2 How Remembered Child Test #2 Reason Remembered

Cole Age: 7 27 Yes, your way helped because I

thought of them.Natalie

Age: 10 40Yes, your way helped. It's more

organized. I can just remember one and then remember the rest.

Emmanuel Age: 7 28 Yes, your way helped because I had

more experience.Tracey Age:10 40

Yes, your way helped because I could remember the category, what animal

it was and the rest would follow.

Kevin Age: 7 36

Yes, your way helped because I saw what they eat, what they like, and

how they grow. Kartrina Age: 10 40 Yes, your way helped me remember

which went with which.

Gabriel Age: 6 39

Yes, your way helped. I just looked at the top animal and I looked at them

across. I knew what they were eating.

Lauren Age: 10 40

Yes, your way helped because I could think of the relation. I started with the

mom every time.

Vanessa Age: 6 40 Yes, your way helped. First I figure

them out because I looked at them. Soomin Age:10 40

Yes, your way helped because they were different animals, with baby, and different home and food. The colors

and familiar animals helped.

Gloria Age: 6 40

Yes, your way helped. Because I looked at the pictures and

remembered the mom first.Mellissa Age: 10 39

Yes, your way helped because once I memorized the items in the category I could remember what went with what.

John Age: 7 40

Yes, your way helped. By looking at the pictures and putting them

together I memorized them. Because it has a lot of information in your head and you keep it in there.

Myriah Age: 10 40

Yes, your way helped because it told me that they lived in one place, ate the something, and were the same

animal.

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Round 2 – Interesting Subject

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Most of the children would scan vertically or horizontally up and down the rows.

Most of the children said that they used our method and that it helped a lot.

Fifth graders demonstrated higher mental functions because they understood the relationship between the images and were able to recall them.

5/7 First graders showed the ability to use the psychological tool, even though not all of them could explain that it was the reason for remembering.

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First GradeChild Test #1 How Remembered Test #2 How Remembered

Cole Age: 7 13

Because I can't stuff a lot in my brain. When I saw things, I

remembered the things I wanted.27 Yes, your way helped because I thought of

them.

Emmanuel Age: 7 17 I just looked at them. 28 Yes, your way helped because I had more

experience.

Kevin Age: 7 17 I look at them and I memorize and

I didn't stop. 36Yes, your way helped because I saw what

they eat, what they like, and how they grow.

Gabriel Age: 6 22 I looked at them twice 39

Yes, your way helped. I just looked at the top animal and I looked at them across. I

knew what they were eating.

Vanessa Age: 6 13 I saw when you took away and I

remembered it. 40 Yes, your way helped. First I figure them out because I looked at them.

Gloria Age: 6 12 Pointing at the pictures helped me

remember. 40Yes, your way helped. Because I looked at

the pictures and remembered the mom first.

John Age: 7 23

Because I can remember anything. It takes a lot of confidence to do

this. 40

Yes, your way helped. By looking at the pictures and putting them together I

memorized them. Because it has a lot of information in your head and you keep it in

there.

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Fifth Grade Child Test #1 Reason Remembered Test #2 Reason Remembered

Natalie Age: 10 13 I tried to connect animals to

homes and families. 40Yes, your way helped. It's more organized.

I can just remember one and then remember the rest.

Tracey Age:10 17

I would use key words to remember all the stuff.

(Haystack: hay and polar bear.)40

Yes, your way helped because I could remember the category, what animal it was

and the rest would follow.

Kartrina Age: 10 17 Just looked at the pictures. 40 Yes, your way helped me remember which

went with which.

Lauren Age: 10 24 Every animal had a little animal. 40

Yes, your way helped because I could think of the relation. I started with the mom

every time.

Soomin Age:10 25

I remembered they were familiar pictures. (last year did a similar

thing)40

Yes, your way helped because they were different animals, with baby, and different home and food. The colors and familiar

animals helped.

Mellissa Age: 10 27

I tried to look at the image of the whole thing and the names of the

things in my head.39

Yes, your way helped because once I memorized the items in the category I could remember what went with what.

Myriah Age: 10 32 Just looked at the pictures. 40

Yes, your way helped because it told me that they lived in one place, ate the

something, and were the same animal.

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What we would do differently Put pictures in same order every time Could have pushed them to remember more Tested more children Tested children from public school Tested more boys in fifth grade Given the test in a less distracting place The first test we gave, we allowed the girl to

look at the picture for a 1:30 Not allowed for an extra minute at the end of

the second test to review the images Waited longer to give the second test

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Conclusion Our hypothesis was not proven to be completely correct The first graders did not recall more images than the fifth

graders on the first test as we had predicted Both the first and fifth graders remembered more on the

second test when we assumed only the fifth graders would recall more with our psychological tool

More older children than younger children did apply the psychological tool (Hypothesis correct!)

More older children knew to apply a psychological tool when we did not tell them one ( Hypothesis correct!)

In general, the children who used our psychological tool to mediate memory remembered more objects than the children who did not use our psychological tool.

The majority of the children we tested fit into the higher mental functioning group because most of them demonstrated the ability to understand and use our tool.

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Questions that came up during experiment

Soomin remembered the pictures with his own psychological technique of putting the picture into a story. If we had more fifth grade boy subjects, would they have had similar mental functions?

Are these children GT students and would testing public school children bring back lower results?

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Nature vs Nurture

Rousseau LockeVygotsky

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Nature Nurture

KantPiaget

Montessori

Khirallah

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