Similarities and differences between Piaget and Vygotsky

Jean Piaget and Vygotsky are two of the great figures in the study of evolutionary and developmental psychology.. His theories have influenced a multitude of authors, from the classics to the most modern. Thanks to them we can understand, from a broad perspective, how children develop.

First of all, you have to understand that Piaget and Vygotsky developed their theories completely separate from each other.. Both are from different times and different countries. But still, it’s interesting to see how they came to similar ideas about the development process.

Next, We will discuss each of the key points of his theories. Thus, we can find links or great differences between them. Let’s dig deeper.

General conception of development for Piaget and Vygotsky

It is important to compare and evaluate the way in which each author faces the problem of explaining development in general. At first glance, it is interesting to note that Piaget and Vygotsky move away from nativist and empiricist proposals when explaining the acquisition of knowledge. Both present their theory from a constructivist paradigm.

Jean Piaget

It is curious to note that both start from the same general conception, based on constructivism and interactionism. For them, the changes produced in development are mainly qualitative, with complex determinants of an interactive and dialectical nature. For this reason, the individual is categorized as an active agent who acts in his environment to create a particular version of his reality.

Now, if we start to delve deeper, the differences between both authors immediately become evident. Firstly, they appeal to different factors as the main source of knowledge. For Piaget, individual action was important.. On the contrary, For Vygotsky, what was important was the interaction with the social environment.

Piaget speaks of a “necessary and universal” development. Thus, development is the result of internal reorganizations of the individual, based on his objective manipulations, without the need for help from an external source. While For Vygotsky, development was “contingent and contextualized.” It had to do with the continuous internalization of cognitive-cultural means and resources acquired through interaction with the social context.

The distinction between “natural development” and “cultural development”

An essential aspect is that Lev Vygotsky makes a distinction between “natural development” and “cultural development”. This contrast is not contemplated, or even rejected, in Piaget’s theory. This distinction between Piaget and Vygotsky shows the marked differences in their thoughts on the importance of culture.

The dichotomy created by Vygotsky shows us the dualistic nature of the approach of his theory. It is based on opposing concepts such as biological growth (maturation) vs cultural development (learning). On the contrary Piaget’s perspective is monistichaving the subject as a unifying reference for this contrast (social vs biological).

Analysis and development management unit

It may seem, through the above, that Piaget ignored the social aspects of development, but this is not the case. What happens is that he interprets or assumes the social factor in a very different way than Vygotsky. For Piaget, the unit of analysis is the individual and the social factor would only be a variable that influences its processes.

Instead for Vygotsky, the unit of analysis is the socio-cultural environment where the individual is immersed. For him, the “individual” aspects would be the variables that influence the social context.

Vygotsky

Now, who is right? What is the unit and what is the external variable that influences it? This first question makes no sense.. In reality, the unit of analysis is the reference point, and naturally it has no fixed position. It’s like seeing a geometric figure from different angles. A cylinder may look like a square from one side and a circle from another, but it is still a cylinder.

But perhaps the greatest difference is reflected in the direction of development proposed by each of the authors. For Piaget, development progresses in the direction of greater decentralization and socialization; That is, the individual starts from internalism to a social conception of reality.

For Vygotsky, it is the opposite process: Knowledge is found outside the individual in a social way. This, through internalization processes, transforms the sociocultural into something individual.

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