Socio-cultural

Theory
What is Socio Cultural Theory?

Socio-Cultural Theory argues that human mental

functions is fundamentally a mediated process that is
organized by cultural artifacts, activities and
concepts. Within this framework,humans are
understood to utilize existing cultural artifacts and
create new ones that allow them to regulate their
biological and behavioral activity. Language use,
organization and structures are the primary means of
mediation. Developmental processes take place
through participation in cultural, linguistic and
historically formed settings such as family and peer
group interaction and in institutional context like
schooling workplace etch.
Socio-Cultural Perspective

From a Socio-Cultural perspective, chidrens early

language learning arises from processes of
meaning-making in collaborative activity with
otherv activity with other members of a given
culture.
Learning is embedded within social events and
occurs as an individual interacts with people ,
objects and events in the environment.
While neurobiology is necessary condition for
higher order thinking , the most important forms of
human cognitive activity develop through social and
material environment.
 Four Stages
The Sensory Motor Stage
The baby experiments with what her mouth can do, it lasts till the age of
12.
The Pre-operation Stage
The child talks constantly even the things which does not need to be
describe and other can see it. It continues till 7 years.
The Concrete-Operational Stage
Bigens around 7 and lasts till 11 or 12. At this stage , the child is capable of
using logic, problem-solving, language refers to specific facts and still no
mental conceptions.
Formal Operational Stage
The formal operational stage begins at the age of 11 or 12 at the earliest.
The child can start using abstract reason and to make mental distinction.
Piaget said that these four stages are universal.
 Regulation, Scaffolding and the
Zone of Proximal Development

Regulation
The mature, skilled individual is capableb of
autonomous function, its self-regulation the child or
unskilled individualized by carrying out tasks in
activities under the guidance of other mote skilled
individuals(such as caregivers or teachers) initially
through the a process of other regulation children
understand how to do things through collaborative
talk while they take over skills into their own
individual consciousness.
Zone Proximal Development

The domain where learning can most productively take place. ZPD is
defined as the range of knowledge, learning and skills where learner is
not yet capable of independent function, but can experience the
desired outcome given relevant scaffolded help. There are two levels
of ZPD:
The Actual Development Level
-This is the upper limit of tasks one perform independently.
The Second Level
-Is the level of potential development.
Scaffolding

Scaffolding is directly related to ZPD. It is

the support mechanism that helps a
learner successfully perform a task within
his/her ZPD. It directs the learners
attention to thr key features of
environment and which promps then
through successive stops of a problem.
 Private or Inner Speech
Egocentrism
Young children remain engage in private speech , a
talk for themselves. Piaget called it egocentrism,
inability to view the world from others point of view
.However it is interpreted very different in Socio-
cultural theory. It is seen as children growing ability
to regulate their behavior where a child talks to
himself when painting a picture or sorting a puzzle,
this private speech eventually becomes inner speech
a use of language to regulate internal thought
without any external actions. Individual has
developed inner speech as a too of thought and
normally feels no further need to articulate external
private speech.
 Conclusion
Human beings have developed
different tools to mediate
between their minds and the
world. Their tools can be of
different nature and serve
different purpose.
 BEHAVIORIST THEORY
Behaviorism is concerned with how
environmental factors (called
stimuli) affect observable behavior
(called the response).
The behaviorist approach proposes
two main processes whereby people
learn from their environment:
namely classical conditioning and
operant conditioning.
 Key Individuals associated with this
Theory :

Ian Pavlov- created the classical

conditioning theory
B.F. Skinner- created the operant
conditioning theory
Albert Bandura- created the social
cognitive theory
John B. Watson worked with the
classical conditioning theory
 Classical Conditioning

1. The unconditioned Stimulos - The unconditioned stimulus is

one that unconditionally ,naturally, and automatically triggers a
response.
2. The Unconditioned Response The unconditioned response is
the unlearned response that occurs naturally in response to the
unconditioned stimulus.
3. The Conditioned Stimulus The conditioned stimulus is
previously neutral stimulus that , after becoming associated with
the unconditioned stimulus eventually comes triggers a conditioned
response.
4. The Conditioned Response The conditioned response id the
learned response to the previously neutral stimulus.
Classical Conditioning
Behaviorist have describe a number of different phenomena associated with
:
classical conditioning

1) ACQUISITION- is the initial stage of learning when a response is

first established and gradually strengtened.
2) EXTINCTION is when the occurrences of a conditioned response
decreased or disappear.
3) SPONTANEOUS RECOVERRY is the reapearance of the
conditioned response after a rest period or period or lessened
response.
4) STIMULUS GENERALIZATION is the tendency for the conditioned
stimulus to evoke similar responces after the response has been
conditioned.
5) DESCRIMINATION is the ability to differentiate between a
conditioned stimulus and other stimuli that have not been paired
with an unconditioned stimulus.
NATIVIST THEORY
Concepts of Nativist Theory

Acquisition is innately determined,

that we are born with a built in-
device of some kind that
predesposes us to language
acquisition.
Children are biologically
programmed for language
acquisition.
NOAM CHOMSKY
He said that every child is born with a biological predisposition to learn
language- any language.
He came up with idea of a language organ, which is known as the
LANGUAGE ACQUISITION DEVICE (LAD)