Part of my interest is that I am working on the cultural and political
aspects of standardizing. My area is not within developmental psychology
per se, so I have primarily been interested in knowledge-mediating devices
that people standardize, such as formal classification schemes and metrics.
In looking at those artifacts, it's clear to me that there are questions of
power and voice in who determines the standard. As I read your explication
of Venger's work, it sounds more culturally specific. Is it also perhaps
less rigid than the standards inscribed into, say, computers? What happens
with children who develop alternative standards -- such as those who belong
to more than one community? Or who resist the dominant standards, or can't
cope with them (being color blind?)? I'm poking at the edges of this as
I'm fascinated with the interplay between standards and exceptions.
Perhaps this links to Nate's point about how these standards are learned in
more and less authoritarian societies.
Thanks again.
Leigh
>'Sensory standard' must be connected with the Russian word 'etalon' (also in
>German/Dutch: etalon). Etalon means literaly 'standard measure' as used in
>the proces of verifying measures, forms, weights etc (to gauge?).
>
>The concept 'etalon' was used by Zaporozjets and L.A. Venger c.s. during
>the sixties - zeventies in Moscow, in their research of the development of
>perception in young children.
>
>Particularly Venger elaborated the notion that a child internalises in his
>early development images of coulours, forms, sizes and sounds from the
>world around him that are generaly accepted, have intrinsic order and serve
>as cultural etalons/standards. These images serve the child as mental
>measuring-staffs (sensory standards) on the level of perception,
>were the child acts with images. For instance: basic geometrical forms, the
>coulours of the rainbow, internalised by the child in his construction,
>drawing, and modelling activity.
>
>According to Venger and his colleaques this proces of forming mental images
>of cultural etalons that functions as internal sensory standards is an
>essential and necessary condition for the development of concepts by the
>child.
>
>Anna
>
>
>
>===========================================
>Anna Strumphler, orthopedagogue
>Amsteldijk 28,
>1074 HT Amsterdam,
>The Netherlands
>Tel.: +31 20 6719906
>e-mail: W.deVries who-is-at net.HCC.nl
>===========================================
>
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