Sociocultural Studies of Mind

by James V. Wertsch, Pablo del Rio, Amelia Alvarez

Overview

Sociocultural Studies of Mind addresses the question of how mental functioning is related to the cultural, historical, and institutional settings in which it takes place. There are three unifying ideas that run through the volume: 1) one of the basic ways that sociocultural setting shapes mental functioning is through the cultural tools employed, 2) mediation provides a formulation of how this shaping occurs, and 3) in order to specify how cultural tools exist and have their effects, it is essential to focus on human action as a unit of analysis. This landmark volume defines a general approach to sociocultural psychology—one that the authors hope will be debated and redefined as the field moves forward. Sociocultural Studies of Mind will be crucial for researchers and graduate students in cognitive science, philosophy, and cultural anthropology.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780521476430
Publisher:	Cambridge University Press
Publication date:	04/28/1995
Series:	Learning in Doing: Social, Cognitive and Computational Perspectives
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	268
Product dimensions:	5.98(w) x 8.94(h) x 0.71(d)

Table of Contents

Part I. Introduction James V. Wertsch, Pablo del Rio and Amelia Alvarez: Part II. Human Action: Historical and Theoretical Foundations: 1. Cultural-historical psychology and the psychological theory of activity: retrospect and prospect Vladimir P. Zinchenko; 2. The need for action in sociocultural research James V. Wertsch; 3. Theories of action, speech, natural language, and discourse Jean-Paul Bronckart; Part III. Mediation in Action: 4. Writing and the mind David R. Olson; 5. An approach to an integrated sensory-motor system in the human central brain and a subconscious computer Tadanobu Tsunoda; Part IV. Sociocultural Setting, Intersubjectivity, and the Formation of the Individual: 6. Observing sociocultural activity on three planes: participatory appropriation, guided participation, apprenticeship Barbara Rogoff; 7. The constitution of the subject: a persistent question Ana Luiza B. Smolka, Maria Cecilia R. Dee Goes, Angel Pino; Part V. Sociocultural Settings: Design and Intervention: 8. Socio-cultural-historical psychology: some general remarks and a proposal for a new kind of cultural-genetic methodology Michael Cole; 9. Tossing, praying, and thinking: the changing architectures of mind and agency Amelia Alvarez Rodriguez and Pablo del Río Pereda.

Editorial Reviews

"...highly recommendable as a target reference for discussion as well as an introductory textbook." Giyoo Hatano, Mind, Culture, and Activity

"...provides a veritable reflection of diverse directions within different psychological traditions into which Vygotskian ideas are developing in different countries." Alex Kozulin, Contemporary Psychology

"For those familiar with a sociocultural approach, this book furnishes several interesting discussions regarding unresolved issues in the area as well as some useful empirical illustrations. For those new to the approach, the book provides a broad collection of ideas that will serve as a useful introduction to a promising perspective for the discipline." Mary Gauvain, Applied Cognitive Psychology

From the Publisher