FROM CONSTRUCTIVISM TO CULTURAL COGNITION: A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF PIAGET, VYGOTSKY, AND TOMASELLO'S THEORIES OF COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT

Yıl 2025, Cilt: 13 Sayı: 25, 411 - 429, 20.03.2025

Tolga Yıldız

https://doi.org/10.20304/humanitas.1601228

Öz

This study explores the developmental theories of Jean Piaget, Lev Vygotsky, and Michael Tomasello, three seminal figures in the field of cognitive psychology. Piaget's theory of genetic epistemology emphasizes the biological stages of cognitive development, highlighting how children construct knowledge through active interaction with their environment. Vygotsky introduces a sociocultural perspective, asserting that cognitive development is fundamentally shaped by social interactions and cultural tools, particularly language. Tomasello builds upon these foundations by integrating comparative primate studies, proposing that shared intentionality and cultural learning are unique to human cognition. Through a comprehensive examination of their theories, this study compares and critiques their contributions, illuminating the evolution of developmental psychology from individualistic to more socially and culturally integrated models. The analysis underscores the significance of integrating biological, social, and cultural factors in understanding cognitive development. The conclusion reflects on the enduring impact of these theorists on contemporary psychology and suggests directions for future research that bridges their perspectives.

Anahtar Kelimeler

Cognitive development, Piaget, Vygotsky, Tomasello, Sociocultural theory, Shared intentionality

Yapılandırmacılıktan Kültürel Bilişe: Piaget, Vygotsky ve Tomasello'nun Bilişsel Gelişim Teorilerinin Karşılaştırmalı Analizi

Öz

Bu çalışma, bilişsel psikolojinin önemli isimlerinden Jean Piaget, Lev Vygotsky ve Michael Tomasello’nun gelişimsel teorilerini ele alıyor. Piaget’nin genetik epistemoloji teorisi, çocukların çevreleriyle aktif etkileşim yoluyla bilgi inşa ettiklerini ve bilişsel gelişimin biyolojik aşamalara dayandığını savunur. Vygotsky, bilişsel gelişimi sosyal etkileşimler ve özellikle dil gibi kültürel araçlar üzerinden açıklayan bir sosyokültürel yaklaşım sunar. Tomasello ise bu yaklaşımları temel alarak karşılaştırmalı primat çalışmalarını sürece dahil eder ve ortak niyetlilik ile kültürel öğrenmenin insan bilişine özgü özellikler olduğunu ileri sürer. Bu çalışma, teoriler arasında kapsamlı bir karşılaştırma yaparak gelişimsel psikolojinin birey odaklı modellerden daha sosyal ve kültürel modeller yönünde nasıl bir dönüşüm geçirdiğini ortaya koymaktadır. Bilişsel gelişimi anlamak için biyolojik, sosyal ve kültürel faktörlerin bir arada ele alınmasının önemini vurgulayan çalışma, bu teorisyenlerin psikoloji üzerindeki kalıcı etkilerini değerlendirmekte ve perspektiflerini birleştiren gelecekteki araştırmalara dair öneriler sunmaktadır.

Anahtar Kelimeler

Bilişsel gelişim, Piaget, Vygotsky, Tomasello, Sosyokültürel teori, Ortak niyetlilik

Kaynakça

• Ambridge, B., & Lieven, E. V. M. (2011). Child language acquisition: Contrasting theoretical approaches. Cambridge University Press.
• Baillargeon, R., Spelke, E. S., & Wasserman, S. (1985). Object permanence in five-month-old infants. Cognition, 20(3), 191–208.
• Call, J., & Tomasello, M. (1994). The social learning of tool use by orangutans (Pongo pygmaeus). Human Evolution, 9(4), 297–313.
• Chaiklin, S. (2003). The zone of proximal development in Vygotsky's analysis of learning and instruction. In A. Kozulin, B. Gindis, V. S. Ageyev, & S. M. Miller (Eds.), Vygotsky’s educational theory in cultural context (pp. 39–64). Cambridge University Press.
• Chomsky, N. (1980). Rules and representations. Columbia University Press.
• Cole, M. (2009). Cultural psychology: A once and future discipline. Harvard University Press.
• Daniels, H. (2008). Vygotsky and research. Routledge.
• Fernyhough, C. (2008). Getting Vygotskian about theory of mind: Mediation, dialogue, and the development of social understanding. Developmental Review, 28(2), 225–262.
• Flavell, J. H. (1996). Piaget's legacy. Psychological Science, 7(4), 200–203. Gelman, R., & Baillargeon, R. (1983). A review of some Piagetian concepts. In J. H. Flavell & E. M. Markman (Eds.), Handbook of child psychology (Vol. 3, pp. 167–230). Wiley.
• Herrmann, E., Call, J., Hernández-Lloreda, M. V., Hare, B., & Tomasello, M. (2007). Humans have evolved specialized skills of social cognition: The cultural intelligence hypothesis. Science, 317(5843), 1360–1366.
• Immordino-Yang, M. H., & Damasio, A. (2007). We feel, therefore we learn: The relevance of affective and social neuroscience to education. Mind, Brain, and Education, 1(1), 3–10.
• Kamii, C. (1985). Young children reinvent arithmetic: Implications of Piaget's theory. Teachers College Press.
• Kozulin, A. (1990). Vygotsky’s psychology: A biography of ideas. Harvard University Press. Lourenço, O., & Machado, A. (1996). In defense of Piaget's theory: A reply to 10 common criticisms. Psychological Review, 103(1), 143–164.
• Luria, A. R. (1979). The making of mind: A personal account of Soviet psychology. Harvard University Press.
• Moll, L. C. (Ed.). (2014). L.S. Vygotsky and education. Routledge.
• Penn, D. C., Holyoak, K. J., & Povinelli, D. J. (2008). Darwin's mistake: Explaining the discontinuity between human and nonhuman minds. Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 31(2), 109–178.
• Piaget, J. (1970). Science of education and the psychology of the child. Orion Press.
• Piaget, J. (1973). To understand is to invent: The future of education. Viking Press.
• Piaget, J., & Inhelder, B. (1956). The child's conception of space. Routledge & Kegan Paul.
• Robbins, D. (2001). Vygotsky’s psychology-philosophy: A metaphor for language theory and learning. Springer.
• Rogoff, B. (2003). The cultural nature of human development. Oxford University Press.
• Sennett, R. (2012). Together: The rituals, pleasures and politics of cooperation. Yale University Press.
• Siegler, R. S. (1996). Emerging minds: The process of change in children's thinking. Oxford University Press.
• Smith, L. (Ed.). (1996). Critical readings on Piaget. Routledge.
• Tomasello, M. (1992). First verbs: A case study of early grammatical development. Cambridge University Press.
• Tomasello, M. (1999). The cultural origins of human cognition. Harvard University Press.
• Tomasello, M. (2003). Constructing a language: A usage-based theory of language acquisition. Harvard University Press.
• Tomasello, M. (2009). Why we cooperate. MIT Press.
• Tomasello, M. (2014). A natural history of human thinking. Harvard University Press.
• Tomasello, M. (2016). A natural history of human morality. Harvard University Press.
• Tomasello, M., & Call, J. (1997). Primate cognition. Oxford University Press.
• Tomasello, M., Carpenter, M., Call, J., Behne, T., & Moll, H. (2005). Understanding and sharing intentions: The origins of cultural cognition. Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 28(5), 675–691. Van der Veer, R., & Valsiner, J. (1991). Understanding Vygotsky: A quest for synthesis. Wiley.
• Vidal, F. (2014). Piaget before Piaget. Harvard University Press. Vygotsky, L. S. (1978). Mind in society: The development of higher psychological processes. Harvard University Press.
• Vygotsky, L. S. (1987). The collected works of L. S. Vygotsky (Vol. 1). Plenum Press. Warneken, F., & Tomasello, M. (2006). Altruistic helping in human infants and young chimpanzees. Science, 311(5765), 1301–1303.
• Wood, D., Bruner, J. S., & Ross, G. (1976). The role of tutoring in problem solving. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 17(2), 89–100.
• Yaroshevsky, M. G. (1989). Lev Vygotsky. Progress Publishers.
• Yasnitsky, A. (2018). Vygotsky: An intellectual biography. Routledge.