Wertsch argues against reductionist accounts of human cognition and proposes a sociocultural perspective, which moves beyond the isolated individual. He suggests that "mediated action" and cultural tools shape cognitive processes and can explain how they are organized.

About the Author
James V. Wertsch is Professor and Chair of the Department of Education at Washington University, St. Louis, Missouri.

Reviews
'...With his usual clear prose and effective balance of theory and experimental evidence, Wertsch argues that neither social nor biological reductionism is the proper methodological stance...Wetsch nicely shows how many school failures result from mismatches in speech genre between the child and the school.' * William J Frawley, Dept. of Linguistics, Univ. of Delaware. *
'This is a fascinating book and highly stimulating to read...a challenging book...this intriguing book should be read by anyone with a serious interest in the relationship between mind and sociocultural setting.' * Professor Martyn Barrett, Dept of Psychology, University of Surrey, for The Psychologist *



Book Information
ISBN 9780195117530
Author James V. Wertsch
Format Hardback
Page Count 224
Imprint Oxford University Press Inc
Publisher Oxford University Press Inc
Weight(grams) 431g
Dimensions(mm) 241mm * 165mm * 19mm