RE: [xmca] FW: The functional method of double stimulation - and somephotographs

Dear Mike and Anton

Although Vygotsky maintains that solving the problem of the blocks isn't
dependent on 'previous experience or knowledge' (T&L, 1986, pp.97-98), I
found that there are other elements of a school-like nature that Vygotsky
apparently did not discuss in Chapter Five of T&L. His introduction to this
(finely crafted and delicate) instrument starts along these lines:

"The functional method of double stimulation in the study of concept
formation begins by introducing nonsense words that from the beginning have
no meaning for the subject. According to Vygotsky, the introduction of
nonsense words was adapted from Ach's (1921) use of nonsense words in his
experimental procedures. These nonsense words are artificial concepts that
actually mean a combination of characteristics, of real attributes, but "for
which no ready concept and word exist" in the given language (1986, p. 97).
This experimental method is designed to reveal the processes involved in the
subject's coming to understand the nonsense words and, at the same time, to
reveal the development of these concepts. The procedure can be used with
adults and children because solving the problem doesn't depend on or
presuppose prior experience or knowledge of the words and concepts in the
experiment: the experiment doesn't use 'tall', 'short', 'large' or 'small'
on their own, but combines these into new relationships exemplified in the
words cev, bik, mur, and lag." (Towsey, 2007, p.58)

For your interest, I've attached my discussion of the three-year-olds'
responses to the blocks - the 'hidden curriculum' seemed to be preparing
these children well for a rote-style approach to education!

Paula

-----Original Message-----
From: xmca-bounces@weber.ucsd.edu [mailto:xmca-bounces@weber.ucsd.edu] On
Behalf Of Anton Yasnitsky
Sent: 30 May 2007 08:18 AM
To: mcole@weber.ucsd.edu; eXtended Mind, Culture, Activity
Subject: Re: [xmca] FW: The functional method of double stimulation - and
somephotographs

Just in case: we are meeting with our Ukrainian
team in a couple of days and are open to any
research initiative of this kind. A good starting
point for a cross-cultural project, eh :)?

--- Mike Cole <lchcmike@gmail.com> wrote:

> Might some kind of collective, distributed
> effort at conducting a small
> study using these materials
> be of interest to XMCA folks?
> mike
>
> On 5/29/07, Carol Macdonald
> <carolmacdon@gmail.com> wrote:
> >
> > P
> > Great to get this. I tried at the weekend to
> see how you were, but you
> > were
> > out.
> >
> > I am about to contact Nicoleen for the 2nd
> time, and will let you know
> > directly I hear something.
> >
> > Jaki's results are back--with 16 pages of
> corrections. But at least they
> > are finally back from the second examiner.
> >
> > I am now drowning in work on four projects.
> >
> > On Thursday I am to have a two hour meeting
> with the Kellogg Foundation
> > about the bibliotherapy project proposal.
> Wish me luck.
> >
> > Rush, rush
> > Love
> > C
> >
> >
> > On 29/05/07, Paula Towsey
> <paulat@johnwtowsey.co.za> wrote:
> > >
> > > Dear Ana
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > Thank you for your suggestion that I
> forward this email to the
> > group. The
> > > blocks I used for my cross-sectional study
> were made by Stoelting Co.
> > > (USA),
> > > according to the specs. provided by Jacob
> Kasanin and Eugenia Hanfmann
> > > (+/-1936/37).
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > My research exercise, 'In Search of
> Vygotsky's Blocks: exploring cev,
> > bik,
> > > mur, and lag in South Africa', was
> conducted for my M. Ed. (Psychology
> > in
> > > Education) by course work and research
> report at Wits University.
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > -----Original Message-----
> > > From: Paula Towsey
> [mailto:paulat@johnwtowsey.co.za]
> > > Sent: 28 May 2007 04:47 PM
> > > To: 'ana@zmajcenter.org'
> > > Subject: The functional method of double
> stimulation - and some
> > > photographs
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > Dear Ana
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > To introduce myself: my name is Paula
> Towsey and I followed, with a
> > great
> > > deal of interest, some of your conversation
> about the method of double
> > > stimulation - Vygotsky's Blocks - on the
> XMCA in March. I conducted
> > > research with this method last year but
> wasn't able to join in with your
> > > conversation because I wasn't on the XMCA
> mailing list in March. I am
> > now
> > > -
> > > but am writing to you separately because
> the topic is no longer current
> > on
> > > XMCA. I do hope that by writing to you
> directly I'm not breaking any
> > XMCA
> > > protocols!
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > In reading between the lines, Ana, it seems
> to me that the pathway you
> > > followed with the method of approach with
> the blocks at the University
> > of
> > > Belgrade was more directly linked - for
> historical and geographical
> > > reasons,
> > > perhaps - in source to Sakharov's approach.
> The sources I was most
> > easily
> > > able to find flowed mainly through Hanfmann
> and Kasanin via Kozulin's
> > > translation of Thought and Language (1986):
> suffice it to say here
> > (though
> > > I
> > > can send you more) that I noticed a
> difference between Sakharov's
> > 'script'
> > > (1994, Van der Veer & Valsiner, Eds.) and
> H&K's (1937,42) in giving
> > > subjects
> > > the option to find all the mur blocks and
> checking to see if they were
> > > 'correct' at this stage, or in allowing
> them to continue to sort the
> > > blocks
> > > according to the given strategy (eg,
> colour, or shape, or oscillations
> > > between the two!).
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > It also seems that it was a lot more
> difficult for me to be in search of
> > > Vygotsky's Blocks - for historical,
> political and geographical reasons
> > > (I'm
> > > in Sunny South Africa) - than it was for
> you and your lucky colleagues
> > at
> > > Belgrade, but the apparent elusiveness of
> the blocks added much intrigue
> > > and
> > > speculation for me! In many respects it
> was a singular journey for me,
> > > working things out, tracing the provenance
> and the implications for
> > > analysis, because there was no one in South
> Africa that I could find
> > with
> > > expertise or knowledge about the blocks.
> And so, there was nobody to
> > talk
> > > to!
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > For a light-hearted entree, I've attached
> four photographs from my
> > > cross-sectional study of 60 subjects.
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > The 3-yr-old photograph depicts a
> three-year-old subject's 'house',
> > which
> > > she unhesitatingly described as belonging
> to the Big Bad Wolf (!). He
> > > made
> > > his re-appearance quite a number of times
> during her session!
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > The S810M photograph depicts this
> eight-year-old subject's charmingly
> > > exaggerated placement of the cev, bik, mur,
> and lag glasses, by
> > > remembering
> > > where the groups of blocks had been on the
> board. Lovely!
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > In the S1505F photograph, the subject had
> noted that by stacking the
> > > blocks
> > > the way she had yielded different sizes -
> small, medium, and
> > large. What
> > > she had been looking for, though, was a
> pattern of two stacked blocks of
> > > the
> > > same diameter, coupled with two which were
> not. She said that this
> > > pattern
>
=== message truncated ===

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