A factorial approach to the problem of the driving forces of a child’s mental development

Contents

Lecture 4
- 4.1. general characteristics
A factorial approach to the problem of the driving forces of a child’s mental development
- Lecture 4

Lecture 4

4.1. general characteristics

It is possible to single out two main criteria for distinguishing between theoretical approaches to identifying patterns in a child’s mental development in ontogeny. The first criterion involves the recognition or denial of the specific laws of human development in ontogeny in comparison with animals. If specificity is denied, then one can speak of naturalism (biologization) of development, i.e., the recognition of universal laws of development that are equally valid for both humans and animals. In the cultural-historical approach, the specificity of a person’s mental development is associated with the assimilation of sociocultural experience, considering it as a special type of human generic heredity along with organic heredity.

The second criterion involves the recognition of the activity of the developing subject. Theories that ignore or deny the importance of human activity in development are called the factorial approach. Development is interpreted as the result of the influence of two factors — heredity and environment. An alternative to the factorial approach are activity approaches, when activity is considered as the main reason for development. This is a cultural-historical approach (L. S. Vygotsky, D. B. Elkonin), as well as a constructivist approach (J. Piaget).

The basis of the factorial approach was laid in the well-known confrontation between two philosophical schools representing the positions of nativism and empiricism in psychology (Scheme 2). These are the dualism of R. Descartes and the empiricism of J. Locke and D. Gartley.

The factorial approach is an approach according to which development is determined by the action of two factors: heredity and environment. According to the position of nativism, the entire development of a person is determined by his heredity. The philosophical justification for this approach was given by Descartes, who proposed his theory of innate ideas. Nativism in the history of psychology is represented by the theories of preformation, recapitulation, and maturation.

Empiricism is represented by two scientific schools — associationism and behaviorism.

Nativism and empiricism are one-factor theories. Two-factor theories take into account both factors — heredity and environment. These include the theory of convergence of two factors (V. Stern) and theories representing the relationship of factors as confrontation and antagonism (3. Freud, the theory of J. Piaget of the early period). Convergence — convergence, involves the interaction and mutual complement of heredity and environment. The confrontation of factors is interpreted as the displacement (suppression) of heredity by the social factor of the environment.