I wonder whether there is any way of sidestepping the value system which is attached to HMF by the use of the word 'higher'. This seems to me to bring along Piagetian connotations of progress towards the rarefied air of the snow covered summits of formal operational thinking, away from the 'swampy lowlands' of more parallel, thick processes. 'Thin mental functions' would be no good - but what about 'lean mental functions'?
All the best,
Rod
-----Original Message-----
From: xmca-bounces@weber.ucsd.edu [mailto:xmca-bounces@weber.ucsd.edu] On Behalf Of Huw Lloyd
Sent: 13 February 2012 19:47
To: Vera John-Steiner; eXtended Mind, Culture, Activity
Subject: Re: [xmca] "higher psychic function"
On 13 February 2012 18:17, Vera John-Steiner <vygotsky@unm.edu> wrote:
Hi,
I think "mediatory" is a very awkwars term and it requires quite a bit
of knowledge about CHAT. Integrated (see David's note ) psychological
functions may work better, or possibly integrated psychological
processes. V's point was that "higher" psychological functions
required the unification of diverse streams of learning, culture and
development.
Though integrated begs the question of how in particular, and doesn't relate clearly to qualitative change.
HMF is simple to say and has a certain mystique. :)
Huw
Vera
----- Original Message ----- From: "Huw Lloyd"
<huw.softdesigns@gmail.com>
To: "eXtended Mind, Culture, Activity" <xmca@weber.ucsd.edu>
Sent: Monday, February 13, 2012 9:53 AM
Subject: Re: [xmca] "higher psychic function"
On 13 February 2012 16:21, Colette Murphy <c.a.murphy@qub.ac.uk> wrote:
Hugh
Thanks a lot for your reasoning. May I just explain that I was
worried that 'higher psychic function' might sound too abstract and
psychological for many science educators (including myself). Thus,
whilst your suggestion makes perfect sense, I fear that it may also
suffer from being too abstract / psychological for my current
purpose. Can you make it more concrete perhaps?
Well it is more concrete, in the Marxian sense.
Really, I would say this hinges on your reference to "scientists". If
they are scientists they should know, or not be shy of knowing, what a
homology (structural comparison) is. That a term like mediation
addresses the phenomena as a scientific system, whereas 'higher' is
indeed abstract and removed (but familiar from the perspective of
other psychological theories).
If a term is introduced that is not familiar, then they're atleast
made aware that the subject may deal with unfamiliar things, rather
than assimilating them (in the Piagetian sense) to their current understanding.
So "Higher" may suffice, for some, from an outside perspective but it
points in inappropriate ways. "Mediatory" is more precise but points
to the unknown, which is also truthful to their understanding.
Huw
Thanks a million
Colette
Dr Colette Murphy
Senior Lecturer
School of Education
69 University St
Queen's University
Belfast BT7 1HL
tel: 02890975953
"Why is it, in spite of the fact that teaching by pouring in,
learning by passive absorption, are universally condemned, that they
are still so entrenched in practice?"
John Dewey Democracy in Education 1916, Page 46
______________________________**__________
From: xmca-bounces@weber.ucsd.edu [xmca-bounces@weber.ucsd.edu] On
Behalf Of Huw Lloyd [huw.softdesigns@gmail.com]
Sent: 13 February 2012 16:08
To: eXtended Mind, Culture, Activity
Subject: Re: [xmca] "higher psychic function"
On 13 February 2012 15:57, Bella Kotik-Friedgut
<bella.kotik@gmail.com
wrote:
Colette asked for a concept "that it be best
read/understood/accepted
by
educationalists (more specifically, science education researchers)
in such a case it seems that "Extension of psychological
mediatory function" does not fit the context Bella Kotik-.
Because.... ?
Huw
On Mon, Feb 13, 2012 at 5:00 PM, Huw Lloyd
<huw.softdesigns@gmail.com
wrote:
On 13 February 2012 12:09, Bella Kotik-Friedgut <
bella.kotik@gmail.com
wrote:
Dear Colette my off-list note returned rejected by your server, so:
I use "higher mental functions" or sometimes "higher
psychological functions", but the first is preferable.
--
Sincerely yours Bella Kotik-Friedgut
On Mon, Feb 13, 2012 at 1:47 PM, Colette Murphy <
c.a.murphy@qub.ac.uk
wrote:
Dear All
I'd be very interested to hear your views on how to
edit/reword/rewrite
the phrase "higher psychic function" in relation to
Vygotsky's CH
theory
so
that it be best read/understood/accepted by educationalists
(more specifically, science education researchers)?
Perhaps it would be better to use a term that pointed to the > >
phenomena,
such as "Extension of psychological mediatory function". "Higher"
relates
the phenomena to other psychological theories but points away
from the phenomena -- one is left considering why one function is
higher than another whilst embedding the ideas in an
(unnecessary) analogical
framework
of "height = abstraction" or "higher as in high church" in which
case
one
is even further removed from a precise formulation using a > >
metaphorical
frame.
I'm happy to engage off-list
if this query is better treated that way.
This is clearly on-topic in many ways.
Kind regards,
Huw
Thanks a million
Colette
Dr Colette Murphy
Senior Lecturer
School of Education
69 University St
Queen's University
Belfast BT7 1HL
tel: 02890975953
"Why is it, in spite of the fact that teaching by pouring in,
learning
by
passive absorption, are universally condemned, that they are
still
so
entrenched in practice?"
John Dewey Democracy in Education 1916, Page 46
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--
Sincerely yours Bella Kotik-Friedgut
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