RE: [xmca] activity (was concepts)

[anna sfard <annasfar@math.msu.edu>]

Yes, Martin, completely agreed. Oh well, except for one thing (I wouldn't
disappoint you - you said you like disagreement, right?): I take exception
with your use of the word 'but' in the following:

* I agree that it can seem that although in Chapter 1 LSV defines his unit
of analysis as word-meaning, by chapters 5 and 6 he has shifted his
attention and is busy analyzing concepts. BUT I think a close reading shows
that in these chapters too the analysis is focused on word meaning.

Why the 'but'? This is exactly the point I was trying to make: In the latter
chapters Mr. V simply replaces "word meaning" with the term "concept." And
in what Andy sent us, Vygotsky says explicitly: 

"word meaning is nothing other than a generalization, that is, a /concept/" 

It's late in my part of the world (not as late as in Andy's, but still).
Thus, rather than trying to cope with this wonderful flooding of further
postings (Andy's, Larry's and Vera's, among others) I will probably simply
say good night for now. 

anna



 
-----Original Message-----
From: xmca-bounces@weber.ucsd.edu [mailto:xmca-bounces@weber.ucsd.edu] On
Behalf Of Martin Packer
Sent: Thursday, April 21, 2011 6:40 PM
To: eXtended Mind, Culture, Activity
Subject: Re: [xmca] activity (was concepts)

On Apr 21, 2011, at 2:41 AM, anna sfard wrote:

> * I'd be interested in the source for your claim that "concept" was his 
> unit of analysis for development.
> 
> He created a whole theory of concept development, from the syncretic
stage, through complexes, to pseudoconcepts, to concepts. Since he saw word
meaning as the unity of thought and speech, this was his way to investigate
the development of human thinking.

Hi Anna,

I agree that it can seem that although in Chapter 1 LSV defines his unit of
analysis as word-meaning, by chapters 5 and 6 he has shifted his attention
and is busy analyzing concepts. But I think a close reading shows that in
these chapters too the analysis is focused on word meaning.

It is important to see that the block task simulates "a living situation of
problem solving" in so far as it focuses on the functional aspects of
concept formation. LSV insists that a concept "is always found within a
living, more or less complex thinking process and it always fulfills either
a communicative, an interpretative or a comprehending function, or attempts
to solve a problem." The child has to solve the problem of how it is that
apparently different blocks have an identical name. The words are initially
"non-sense," meaningless, and the child has to construct their meaning. The
researcher has assigned them a specific objective reference which the child
has to discover, by making judgments of identity or equality which are then
confirmed or disconfirmed, on the basis of features of the blocks. The
reference is not arbitrary, but the features that turn out to be relevant
are not perceptually salient but are a conjunction of relational properties
(BOTH tallER and wideER), and LSV traces the child's developing ability to
abstract and combine such features, to create what he calls a concept. When
the child is able to easily apply the nonsense words to new objects, such as
candles or glasses, it is evident that the words now have meaning. Word
meaning is still the focus, and the methodological tool used in this
experiment. 

LSV is critical of research on children's understanding of words that simply
asks them for a definition, and equally of research that simply looks at the
objects the word applies to. The former studies only the words, while the
latter studies only the objective material. But both are important, and so
one needs  a method that studies the "true, real meaning which corresponds
to the word in the process of its living relationship with the objective
reality which it signifies." The child places word and objective material in
a complex dynamic relationship. A concept has a material basis, but language
is necessary for its establishment.  

Martin__________________________________________
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