Unit 3. Egocentric Speech

Private speech represents the transition in the internalisation of language as an instrument of thought.

• True

• False

According to Piaget, egocentric speech has no cognitive function, although it does not disappear in the course of development. Vygotski, on the other hand, sees it as a form of behavioural regulation that is aimed at internal speech and operates throughout the life cycle.

• True

• False

According to Vygotski, children around the age of 4 can functionally differentiate between social speech (communication) and private speech (thinking), compared to older children who show functional indifferentiation.

• True

• False

In general, research on the origin of egocentric or private speech supports the Vygotskian hypothesis, finding positive correlations with social speech.

• True

• False

Goudena's work shows that when there is no perceived collaboration from others, private speech productions increase.

• True

• False

The egocentricity coefficient, which is not the only measure of private speech, records the number of private utterances relative to total utterances.

• True

• False

For Western research, age does not represent an indicator of the degree of private speech maturation and thus of development, whereas for Vygotski the key variable is learning in interaction with other more expert members of his cultural group.

• True

• False

The study of the structure of private speech is the field that has attracted most interest. Some findings have been: the greater the communality, the greater the abbreviation (semantic feature), progressive vowel loss, predicative function or dialogic structure.

• True

• False

As for the function of private speech, the data support the idea that it plays a determinant role in the effectiveness with which a task is solved, highlighting its diachronic dimension in coping with subsequent similar situations.

• True

• False

Although there are disparate data, possibly derived from the inadequate definition of the task difficulty variable, there is evidence of increases in private speech emissions for tasks of medium difficulty, i.e. those that promote the zone of proximal development.

• True

• False