Memory and the ChildMemory and the Child

Werner vs. Vygotsky

Heinz Werner (1890-1964)

• Born in Vienna, Austria in 1890 • Bright and studious• Loved music and planned to be

composer and music historian• Class incident – changed major

to psychology and philosophy• Gestalt philosophy• Came to America in 1933• 1947 – Professor at Clark

University

Biographical information from: Crain, William. Theories of Development: Concepts and Applications. Fifth Ed. New Jersey: Pearson: Prentice Hall, 2005.

Werner’s Key Terms

• Eidetic imagery– The “pure memory image” of something, as if the

image in one’s mind is actually the percept itself. • Physiognomic perception

– The perception of an object from an emotional viewpoint, as the child is affected by what he sees. It is the attribution of expressive features to any object, even inanimate.

• Synesthesia– The combination of more than one sense in

perceiving an object. This makes a rich, vivacious perception.

• Geometric-technical perception – The tendency to use objective and measurable

properties in perception. This is a completely abstract, objective approach to perception.

• Microgenetic mobility– The ability of some adults to revert from geometric-

technical to physiognomic perception.

Heinz Werner – His Theory

• Discontiuous Development– Orthogenic Principle

• Organic whole• Differentiation• Hierarchical integration

• Self-object differentiation• Physiognomic Perception –

younger children• Geometric-technical

perception – older children/adults

Lev Vygotsky (1896-1934)

• 1896 - Born and raised in Byelorussia Republic

• Exceptionally bright child• 1917 - Graduated from Moscow

University• 1917-1924 - Teaching• 1924 - Stunning psychology presentation• 1924-1934 Research and development of

theory• Works not published until much laterBiographical information from: Dixon-Krauss, Lisbeth. Vygotsky in the Classroom: Mediated Literacy Instruction and

Assessment. New York: Longman Publishers USA, 1996. pp.2-3

Vygotsky’s Key Terms

• Natural mental behaviors– the elementary, biological abilities of the brain. This and

other “lower…mental behaviors,” according to Vygotsky, are shared with some animals.

• Cultural mental behaviors– the culturally developed, higher mental actions that are

unique to humans. These behaviors are more complex and are self-directed .

• Signs - psychological tools –– “artificial, or self-generated, stimuli.”. Objects, behaviors, or

other stimuli which people use to augment their natural mental capacities. They give people control over their mental behaviors. Examples: language, reminders. When signs are used, behavior is said to be “mediated behavior.”

• Internalization– The progressive transfer from external social activity

mediated by signs to internal control.

• Semiotic mediation– The process by which, through the use of signs, natural

mental behaviors are developed into higher, cultural, mental behaviors

Definitions from Vygotsky, Mind in Society, Dixon-Krauss, Vygotsky in the Classroom: Mediated Literacy Instruction and Assessment, Bodrova, Tools of the Mind: The Vygotskian Approach to Early Childhood Education., and Crain textbook.

Lev Vygotsky – His Theory

• Sociohistorical theory of development• There are two lines of development: “the elementary

processes, which are of biological origin…and the higher psychological functions, of sociocultural origin…The history of child behavior is born from the interweaving of

these two lines.” - Mind in Society

•A. Leontiev’s study on mediated memory–Younger children – little or no use of signs–School-age children – use of external signs–Adults – internalized use of signs

Werner and Vygotsky’s views on memory

Werner “As one would expect,

the capacity for retention during childhood has been found to increase with age… We know at least one of the principal causal factors: viz., the growing capacity of the child to organize material to be retained.”

Vygotsky “In the elementary

form something is remembered; in the higher form humans remember something.”

Guiding Questions

• Is it really true that older children, whom Vygotsky would say have culturally acquired better memory skills, but who no longer have the richness of perception and eidetic imagery that Werner says younger children possess, will remember more than the younger children?  

• Will a structured, logical approach to memory hinder the natural ability of the younger children while assisting the older?

I. The kindergartners will do better overall

II. The kindergartners’ scores will not improve when they are asked to remember.

III. The third graders’ scores will improve when they are asked to remember

Procedure

• 5 Kindergartners and 5 Third Graders

• 2 Scenes– Farm Scene

• Discussion of objects and details• Not told beforehand to try to remember• Asked how they remembered

– Beach Scene• Discussion of objects and details• Told beforehand to try to remember• Asked how they remembered

The Scenes

# 1: Farm Scene

# 2: Beach Scene

Scoring

• Object remembered correctly: +1 point

• Detail remembered correctly: +1 point

• Incorrect object or detail: -1 point

The Result

Overall

First Time Second Time Overall

Kindergartners 41.4 39.6 40.5

Third Graders 47.0 45.2 46.1

Overall

The Scores – Kindergarten and Third

First Time Second Time Difference

Ryan Jackson 54 37 -17.0

Lauren Jeter 45 37 -8.0

Sara Huerta 39 35 -4.0

Tracy Ho 35 48 13.0

Sam Denehee 34 41 7.0

Average 41.4 39.6 -1.8

Kindergartners' Scores

First Time Second Time Difference

Elizabeth M. 62 52 -10.0

Maria Lynn 49 42 -7.0

Joe Ramirez 46 43 -3.0

Marisa Hantelmann 40 45 5.0

Timmy Cruz 38 44 6.0

Average 47.0 45.2 -1.8

Third Graders' Scores

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

First Time

Second Time

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

Elizab

eth

Mar

iaJo

e

Mar

isa

Timm

y

First Time

Second Time

How the Kindergartners Remembered

Sam34 - 37

“I watch TV a lot.”“TV again. ‘Cause I can remember stuff on it.”

Tracy35 - 48

Because I think in my brain, and I think quietly.”“Because I thinked, and I thinked really hard. And tried to remember.”

Ryan54 - 37

“That was easy, because I looked, and my brain was telling me.”“I was looking very carefully, and my ears were turned on , and my brain was clicked on.”

Sara39 - 35

“I picture them in my mind.”“I tried to remember. I pictured them in my mind.”

Lauren

45 - 37

“Because I looked at it really good.”“’Cause I looked at the picture a long time, and I looked at it really good.”

How the Third Graders Remembered

Timmy38 - 44

“I looked at them, then tried to remember them. I just tried to remember.”“By looking at them really hard and trying to memorize them. Like look at it two times, and then after you’re done, you can close your eyes and try to think of it.”

Joe46 - 43

“By memorizing it. ‘Cause the color they are and the animal they are. I pictured them in my head.” “I pictured them in my head. And I remembered them, in my memory.”

Elizabeth

62 - 52

“By seeing the pictures, and not forgetting what they were.” “By putting them into my head and by looking at the pictures for a minute, and by taking a picture of them.”

Marisa40 - 45

“I just pictured them in my mind.” “Just by memorizing them in my head. I just see them in my head and keep thinking about them.”

Maria49 - 42

“By looking at the background of the farm. Like looking at a farm with animals and seeing some of the animals in this scene.”

Conclusions

I. K over 3rd overall:

•WRONG!II. K wouldn’t improve:

•RIGHT!III. 3rd would improve:

•WRONG!

Limitations

• Distractions• Kindergartners and third

graders too close in age• Should have encouraged

the children to give more details on their own, when discussing the picture the first time

Other Questions

• How much of a difference does it make when things to be remembered are discussed, and not just seen? What about the other senses?

• Which played a more significant role in memory: Werner’s development, or Vygotsky’s social conditioning? Or a mixture of both?

Links:

• Werner overview: http://danielson.laurentian.caldrdnotes/5106ch05.htm

• Vygotsky overview: http://www.geocities.com/lorigranth/>