The ideas of Vygotsky [Vygotsky, L. S. (1987). "Thinking and speech." In "The collected works of L. S. Vygotsky," (Vol. 1). New York: Plenum. (Original work published 1934.)] have been increasingly influential in accounting for social-environmental influences on the development of social understanding (SU). In the first part of this article, I…

This paper examines the social origins of self-other understanding in young children. The proposition is that mental state discourse is related to the development of social understanding, and evidence for this proposal comes from cross-sectional, longitudinal, and training studies that relate discourse about mental states in a variety of…

In response to commentaries on their model of discipline effectiveness, Grusec and Goodnow note that the model places as much emphasis on affect as on cognition and that it is certainly applicable to preschool years. They discuss development of sense of self, ability to self-regulate, and attachment as important precursors of internalization. (MDM)

Sociocultural theories provide a useful lens for interpreting behaviors as individuals enter contexts requiring social interactions. These theories help us understand that learning is stimulated and nourished by interactions with others, supporting a view that learning is essentially a socially inspired process. This emphasis on the social and…

Discusses how friendships are transformed from equality-based exchange relationships during early childhood into need-based communal relationships during adolescence. Builds upon thesis that developmental changes in friendships can best be understood using both deep- and surface- structure levels of analysis. Examines cognitive representations of…