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Michael Cole
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L. S. Vygotskiĭ
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Mind in Society: Development of Higher Psychological Processes Revised ed. Edition, Kindle Edition

by L. S. Vygotsky (Author), Michael Cole (Editor), Vera John-Steiner (Editor), Format: Kindle Edition
4.6 out of 5 stars 238 ratings

Vygotsky’s sociocultural theory of cognitive development in his own words—collected and translated by an outstanding group of scholars.

“A landmark book.” —Contemporary Psychology

The great Russian psychologist L. S. Vygotsky has long been recognized as a pioneer in developmental psychology. But his theory of development has never been well understood in the West. Mind in Society corrects much of this misunderstanding. Carefully edited by a group of outstanding Vygotsky scholars, the book presents a unique selection of Vygotsky’s important essays, most of which have previously been unavailable in English.

The mind, Vygotsky argues, cannot be understood in isolation from the surrounding society. Humans are the only animals who use tools to alter their own inner world as well as the world around them. Vygotsky characterizes the uniquely human aspects of behavior and offers hypotheses about the way these traits have been formed in the course of human history and the way they develop over an individual's lifetime.

From the handkerchief knotted as a simple mnemonic device to the complexities of symbolic language, society provides the individual with technology that can be used to shape the private processes of the mind. In Mind in Society Vygotsky applies this theoretical framework to the development of perception, attention, memory, language, and play, and he examines its implications for education. The result is a remarkably interesting book that makes clear Vygotsky’s continuing influence in the areas of child development, cognitive psychology, education, and modern psychological thought.

Chapters include:
1. Tool and Symbol in Child Development
2. The Development of Perception and Attention
3. Mastery of Memory and Thinking
4. Internalization of Higher Psychological Functions
5. Problems of Method
6. Interaction between Learning and Development
7. The Role of Play in Development
8. The Prehistory of Written Language

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  1. ISBN-13
    978-0674076709
  2. Edition
    Revised ed.
  3. Publisher
    Harvard University Press
  4. Accessibility
    Learn more
  5. Publication date
    October 1, 2012
  6. Language
    English
  7. File size
    1.7 MB
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Editorial Reviews

Review

This selection of Vygotsky's important writings (most were previously unavailable in English) offers the Western reader a new appreciation of the seminal contributions of one of Russia's most influential psychologists. (Psychology Today)

This little book is an intellectual excitement; it abounds with all manner of ideas, insights, and novel formulations. (Kevin Connolly Nature)

This is a landmark book, compulsory reading for students of developmental and adult cognition...Mind in Society should stimulate an awakened interest in Vygotsky as a contemporary force rather than a figure of historical interest. (Ann L. Brown Contemporary Psychology)

Now, at long last, we have a representative selection of [Vygotsky's] theoretical essays, in a new collection prepared by Michael Cole and his co-workers, under the ingenious title Mind in Society...It pieces together selections from four of Vygotsky's writings: chiefly, an unpublished monograph on 'Tool and Symbol in Children's Development' dating from 1930, and a chapter on 'The History of the Development of Higher Psychological Functions' issued previously in Russian in 1960. However, it has two solid virtues. It was prepared with the active collaboration of A. R. Luria, so it can certainly claim to be authoritative. And it provides the sense we have long needed of Vygotsky's over-all theoretical enterprise, of which his studies on thought and language are one, but only one, aspect...[The book] puts [his] ideas into a broader theoretical context, and permits us at last to sort out for ourselves how Vygotsky's work relates to that of his contemporaries and successors in the West. Most particularly, it clarifies the central role that Vygotsky allots to language and symbolic thought in shaping the structure of adult mental life. (Stephen Toulmin New York Review of Books)

Review

Vygotsky was a genius. After more than a half a century in science I am unable to name another person who even approaches his incredible analytic ability and foresight. All of my work has been no more than the working out of the psychological theory which he constructed. (A. R. Luria)

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B00CN509GK
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Harvard University Press
  • Accessibility ‏ : ‎ Learn more
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ October 1, 2012
  • Edition ‏ : ‎ Revised ed.
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 1.7 MB
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 175 pages
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0674076709
  • Page Flip ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.6 out of 5 stars 238 ratings

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  1. Michael Cole

    Michael Cole

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  2. L. S. Vygotskiĭ

    L. S. Vygotskiĭ

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Customer reviews

4.6 out of 5 stars
238 global ratings

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Customers find this book to be an educational classic that provides great insights into Vygotsky's theories. They appreciate its readability.

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Education valueLanguage quality
16 customers mention "Education value"16 positive0 negative

Customers find this book to be an educational classic and a great resource for understanding Vygotsky's theories, with one customer noting its relevance to the classroom.

"This book is well worth reading. Vygotsky's work was brilliant, but most sources completely misrepresented it, so it's worth reading the original...." Read more

"...A hazardous combination, but the quality of his thinking, his lucid insights and innovations, his sheer creativity, all make this book important for..." Read more

"This book is very interesting and was somehow a mind opener for me...." Read more

"...someone from reading it, it has an absolutly fantastic practical implacation worth the effort!..." Read more

4 customers mention "Language quality"4 positive0 negative

Customers find the language of the book well-translated and very readable, with one customer highlighting Vygotsky's focus on language.

"...This translation is very readable too. Our schools would be much better if this were consistently applied...." Read more

"...and has so much relevance to the classroom because of Vygotsky's focus on language, and learning as a social experience...." Read more

"...you can scan for concepts and quotes very easily. A good resource for education majors." Read more

"...I am a fan of Vygotsky,and this was a easier read than I expected." Read more

Top reviews from the United States

  • Howard W. Cohen
    5.0 out of 5 stars Nice!
    Reviewed in the United States on September 19, 2024
    Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
    Excellent product and delivery!
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  • Peter
    5.0 out of 5 stars One of the best books ever written, well-translated
    Reviewed in the United States on May 19, 2019
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    This book is well worth reading. Vygotsky's work was brilliant, but most sources completely misrepresented it, so it's worth reading the original. This translation is very readable too. Our schools would be much better if this were consistently applied.

    People will nit about the faithfulness of different translations, but for the typical practitioner or education researcher, I'm not sure it matters too much. The textbook summaries of Vygotsky are almost all simply incorrect, and it's important to get away from that. On the other hand, the differences in nuance between translations are subtle enough to have little practical impact (unless, of course, one's goal is to study Vygotsky, in which case, one is best off learning Russian).
    6 people found this helpful
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  • peinstein
    5.0 out of 5 stars A highly influential but not well-known thinker
    Reviewed in the United States on April 20, 2022
    Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
    Vygotsky was a product of the Soviet system, a full-on Marxist, and also a Jew. A hazardous combination, but the quality of his thinking, his lucid insights and innovations, his sheer creativity, all make this book important for anyone interested in educational psychology. The man was a ground-breaker.
    2 people found this helpful
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  • D Walls
    4.0 out of 5 stars A mind opener
    Reviewed in the United States on November 19, 2013
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    This book is very interesting and was somehow a mind opener for me. The book gives a good overview of the different approaches to the learning process which were available and discussed at the time. He explains the childs development not as simply a Newtonian deterministic process, but as mental and psychological processes in motion and change where the outcome often became different what had been predicted. It is amazing that Vygotsky could come up with these new and visionary ideas in Stalin`s Sovjet!
    5 people found this helpful
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  • ASchoolGal
    5.0 out of 5 stars A MUST READ for parents, preschool through elem educators.
    Reviewed in the United States on March 22, 2002
    Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
    While the book is full of theory that might discourage someone from reading it, it has an absolutly fantastic practical implacation worth the effort! The second half of this book, "Educational Implications" discusses the Zone of Proximal Development. Learning about this "Zone" plus the discussion regarding how children learn to read and write, tells those of us who really want to help children learn, ways to set-up an environment and activities to do it!!
    Don't let the theory scare you away, this is a MUST READ!
    25 people found this helpful
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  • krismic
    5.0 out of 5 stars If you work with children or simply want to better understand human development I highly recommend this book
    Reviewed in the United States on June 18, 2017
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    Vygotsky was a genius! If you work with children or simply want to better understand human development I highly recommend this book. He blazed the trail with his theories, many of which are standard practice for early educators.
    6 people found this helpful
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  • ALMK
    5.0 out of 5 stars One of the Foundations of Modern Pedagogy
    Reviewed in the United States on December 29, 2013
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    For people studying education, this book is essential. It is much more accessible than Piaget's works, and has so much relevance to the classroom because of Vygotsky's focus on language, and learning as a social experience. Dewey's Experience & Education is another personal favorite.
    7 people found this helpful
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  • Dxbones
    5.0 out of 5 stars Classic
    Reviewed in the United States on April 24, 2019
    Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
    This book, being the seminal work that it is, will be a good addition to any educator's library.
    One person found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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  • Chris Wolfe
    5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
    Reviewed in Canada on December 11, 2016
    Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
    As a casual reader of psychology this was thought provoking. Fairly dense material.
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  • Pedro Mayoral
    5.0 out of 5 stars Genial para los fines académicos que fue adquirido
    Reviewed in Mexico on April 22, 2018
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    Excelente producto, muy útil para mis clases ya que soy profesor de nivel universitario y con materias variadas.
    Sus contenidos son claros y la versión digital es súper útil pues lo puedes leer justo en el tamaño de letra que más fácil se acomode a tus necesidades.
    Excelente para profesores universitarios y amantes de la buena lectura.
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  • さあさん
    5.0 out of 5 stars すばらしい
    Reviewed in Japan on June 23, 2012
    Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
    ヴィゴツキーについては、ピアジェのライバルであること、内部言語が外部言語から作られることを主張した発達心理学の天才であると聞いていました。「思考と言語」を購入して読みましたが、内容を深く理解することはできませんでした。ヴィゴツキーは病弱だったらしく、何度も中断を重ねて本を書いていたようです。そのために、記述が冗長で繰り返しが多く理解しにくいのです。原著をそのまま翻訳している翻訳では難解でした。翻訳の日本語もわたしには難しすぎました。結局、英語のサイトなどを参考にして勉強していました。

    　ある日、この本の存在を知り、アマゾンで購入しました。
    この本は英語ですが、「思考と言語」を日本語で読むよりわかりやすいです。ヴィゴツキーの死後に、彼の発達心理学を英語圏に広めようというMichel Coleの努力の賜物です。ヴィゴツキーの観察と洞察もすばらしいですが、Coleたちの編集と翻訳もすばらしいと思います。

    　編者のColeは、ヴィゴツキーの書いた複数の本から理解しやすい部分をとりだして、翻訳し、編集しました。さらに、冗長な部分はけずり、言葉の足りないところはヴィゴツキー自身の著書や彼の共同研究者の本から解説を持ってくるという大胆な編集をしています。ヴィゴツキーが書いたことを理解し、咀嚼消化して読者に提供しています。ですから、ヴィゴツキーの書いたものより理解しやすくなっています。原著の冗長さ、繰り返しを取りさっている点で原著そのものではありません。しかし、日本人の書いた解説本ほどに原著から離れていないなと思います。
    　英語を読めるなら、是非読むことを勧めます。もし、発達心理学に興味があるけれど、英語が苦手というのでしたら、英語の辞書を引きながらでも読むことを勧めます。それだけの価値がある本です。
    とにかくすばらしくわかりやすいです。
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  • Luisde
    5.0 out of 5 stars Clásico en Psicología de la Educación
    Reviewed in Spain on September 17, 2015
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    Libro clásico de Vygostki. Realmente está escrito en inglés por profesores de Harvard recopilando de sus notas. Es el libro donde se presenta el famoso concepto de la famosa zona de desarrollo próximo (ZPD). Trata varios y diversos temas. La primera para que presenta toda su teoría psicológica yo la pasé deprisa. Me resultó más interesante la segunda parte donde habla de juego y educación. Sección 'Educational implications' y capítulos '6. Interaction between learning and development' y '7. The role of play in development'

    Me llamó la atención que el famoso concepto de ZPD se desarrolla poco. Por otro lado dedica bastante al papel del juego en el desarrollo, que según Vygotski es fundamental.
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  • Giuseppe Scavo
    5.0 out of 5 stars Very interesting book
    Reviewed in France on July 12, 2021
    Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
    Very interesting book on Vygotsky's work.
    Report

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