On a critical moment in the child's mental (speech) development

Abstract

The two articles which follow are translated from the Soviet literature, and were reviewed by Sybil S. Barten and Marion Blank in the previous issue of this journal (Soviet research on speech and language: An American perspective. Early Child Development and Care,1:3‐14). Barten and Blank stated that the Soviet papers dealt with a variety of important issues and present data which has great research implications. While pointing out methodological weaknesses, they stressed that the Russian studies show a willingness to grapple with some of the most interesting problems in the area of language development, and demonstrate remarkable ingenuity and flexibility in designing experimental tasks to elucidate these questions. They pointed out three dominant themes in the Soviet studies: concern with analyzing the ways in which mental processes differ from other (eg. motor) reactions; emphasis on facilitating development; and stress on the role of social context in the development of higher mental functions. Accord...