Chapter 2: The Development of Perception and Attention
From WikEd
Chapter 2 provides a discussion of the development of perception and attention and its connection to speech. Children’s perception varies at different stages of development. A child may initially identify separate objects and in a later stage of development, the child may describe a more in depth association between the objects that appear in his or her visual field. However, it was proposed that children might in fact do the opposite. The two ideas are obviously conflicting, but experimentation illustrates that language plays a significant role in perception. The language development of very young children is not as advanced as that of older children, which makes it difficult for younger children to move beyond simply identifying single objects. This limitation then speaks to what Vygotsky refers to as verbalized perception.
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[edit] Vygotskys' Ideas About Perception
- Visual perception is intergral (we observe objects in our visual field at the same time)
- Human perception is made up of categorized perceptions
- Humans perceive real objects (we make sense and meaning out of what is perceived)
[edit] Labeling
In “Mind in Society,” labeling is noted as a means in which young children use speech. Labeling allows the child to identify one object from many objects. Thus, children are able to perceive the world visually and through speech.
[edit] Studies of Choice Behavior in Children
Based on the example provided in Chapter 2, choice processes in children are external according to Vygotsky and are primarily concerned with movement. Further exploration of choice behavior demonstrates that signs play a significant role and influence the choice process. Through the use of signs, the process is restructured. Movement shifts from being the processes to being the means through which the goal is achieved.
[edit] Attention
Children have the ability to control their perception. The child can choose where he or she will direct his or her attention. Additionally, it is possible to bring aspects of the past into the present visual field through the use of speech. This process relates to the concept of memory, which is discussed further in the subsequent chapter. Memory is used to make previous events acessible and join those past events with present events. Vygostky also mentions that future events, which are represented by signs, can be incorporated. The introduction of signs leads to the construction of a system comprised of aspects from the past, the present, and the future. Vygotsky suggets the this system serves as "intentions and symbolic representations of purposeful action."
[edit] Questions
- Do we always bring past events into our perceptions?
- In what ways do we see speech fusing with perception in the classroom setting?
- How does choice behavior operate beyond the example used in Chapter 2?
- It appears that Vygotsky makes a strong link between speech and perception. When is speech not involved in perception?
