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

On 5/30/07, Paula Towsey <paulat@johnwtowsey.co.za> wrote:
>
> 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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Received on Fri Jun 1 12:52 PDT 2007