Vygotsky's Conception: A Logico-Semantic Analysis

Abstract

This article is devoted to the works of an outstanding psychologist from the standpoint not of a memorial or a contribution to the history of psychology, but of a comprehensive attempt to construct a methodology. I shall present the results of a logico-semantic analysis of Vygotsky's published works. The principal purpose of this analysis was to determine and systematize the conceptual and terminological apparatus of Vygotsky's theory of the development of higher mental functions, or, as it is usually termed, the "cultural-historical theory of the mind" [10. P. 7], the "cultural-historical theory of the development of the mind" [8. P. 19], or the "theory of cultural-historical development" [9. P. 103], etc. Hereafter, for brevity's sake, I shall refer to this theory as "Vygotsky's conception." It must not be confused with the broader concept of Vygotsky's cultural-historical psychology, which includes, in addition to Vygotsky's broader conception, hypotheses, methodological principles, methods of investigation, numerous empirical data, etc. Although all of this falls outside the basic theoretical conception, it is nevertheless an obligatory constituent of the materials of logico-semantic analysis.