КУЛЬТУРНО ИСТОРИЧЕСКАЯ ПСИХОЛОГИЯ 4/2010 83 Development of human mind: subject matter of cultural historical theory (original) (raw)

Undoubtedly, Vygotsky's cultural historical theory has the higher mental functions of human beings as its principle object of study. However, this object is not simple and should be clarified. The distinction between the lower mental functions, equal in animals and human beings (such as sensations, representations, perception etc.) and the higher specifically human mental functions (abstract thinking, logical memory, voluntary attention, etc.) was originally introduced to scientific psychology by W. Wundt. He propounded that the higher functions could not be studied in experimental psychology, but by the historical analysis of various cultural products (folk tales, customs, rituals and so on). Vygotsky's theory took an opposite approach — the higher mental func tions (human mind) should become the subject matter of scientific experimental psychology. Psychology should create a new methodology of experimental research, and new theoretical instruments (concepts and principles)...