In: Psychology
Language
For this question compare and contrast the role of language as seen by the theorist’s: Jean Piaget and Lev Vygotsky. Be sure to: 1-explain how they both viewed language in similar ways, 2-how they differed in their views of language and lastly, being that one theorist felt stronger about the role of language leading to higher levels of abstract thinking, what would Piaget/Vygotsky say to one another if they were given the opportunity to critique each other on their differing views. Please do not forgot CITE
Piaget: Assimilation and Accommodation
Jean Piaget’s theory of language development suggests that children use both assimilation and accommodation to learn language. Assimilation is the process of changing one’s environment to place information into an already-existing schema (or idea). Accommodation is the process of changing one’s schema to adapt to the new environment. Piaget believed children need to first develop mentally before language acquisition can occur. According to him, children first create mental structures within the mind (schemas) and from these schemas, language development happens.
Vygotsky: Zone of Proximal Development
Lev Vygotsky’s theory of language development focused on social learning and the zone of proximal development (ZPD). The ZPD is a level of development obtained when children engage in social interactions with others; it is the distance between a child’s potential to learn and the actual learning that takes place. Vygotsky’s theory also demonstrated that Piaget underestimated the importance of social interactions in the development of language.