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Child and Adolescent Development for Educators, 2/e
Judith Meece, University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill
Student Study Guide by Nancy Defrates-Densch

Cognitive Development: Piaget's and Vygotsky's Theories

Critical Thinking Exercise



Alex and Andy are five-year-old friends. They are playing next to each other in a sandbox. Each child is taking a bucket, filling it with sand and then emptying the bucket into another. They do this repeatedly. All the while they talk. Alex says, "Now I put the sand in this one." Andy answers, "The sand goes from the blue bucket to the red one."
They then each begin to line-up several toy vehicles. Andy says, "the trucks go in the back." Alex says, "I put the red ones here and the green ones there."



1

Explain what is occurring from a Piagetian perspective.

2

What skills might pouring the sand from one bucket to another help to develop?

3

Explain what is occurring from a Vygotskian perspective.