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Vygotsky observed distinct development of speech and thought in early infancy (e.g., babbling vs. reaching for objects).
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Around age two, speech and thought begin to interact and influence each other.
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This merging results in:
- Thought adopting verbal traits.
- Speech providing clearer expression of thought.
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Vygotsky vs. Piaget on children's self-talk during play:
- Piaget’s view:
- Terms egocentric speech.
- Believes it does not aid cognitive development.
- Reflects a child's self-centeredness; fades by end of preoperational stage.
- Vygotsky’s view:
- Calls it private speech.
- Sees it as critical for learning self-regulation.
- Behavior initially guided by external speech.
- As independence grows, children use private speech to direct actions.
- Evolves into inner speech by ages six or seven, essential for cognitive growth.
- Piaget’s view:
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Research findings (Winsler et al., 2007):
- Children aged two to five perform tasks better with self-talk.
- Private speech enhances communication skills with others.
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Encouragement for adults:
- Pay attention to children's private speech for insights into their thinking.
Simplify the following in point form
In early infancy, Vygotsky noted that speech (like babbling) and thought (such as reaching for objects) develop separately. However, around age two, speech and thought begin to interact and influence each other. As they merge, thought starts to adopt verbal traits, and speech becomes a clearer expression of thought.
Moreover, Vygotsky and Piaget held different views on children's self-talk during play. Piaget referred to this as egocentric speech, believing it did not aid cognitive development and simply reflected a child's self-centeredness, which fades by the end of the preoperational stage. In contrast, Vygotsky called it private speech, seeing it as a critical step in learning self-regulation. Initially, children's behavior is guided by external speech from others. As they strive for independence, they use private speech to direct their actions, which eventually evolves into inner speech around ages six or seven. This development is essential for cognitive growth and typically reflects thought processes.
Research indicates that children aged two to five perform tasks better when they use self-talk rather than remaining silent (Winsler et al., 2007). Additionally, as children engage in private speech, their communication skills with others also improve. Winsler and colleagues encourage adults to pay attention to children's private speech, as it offers valuable insights into their thinking.
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