Sunita has grown up in a joint family in a village in Odisha, while her cousin Arjun has grown up in a large technology city abroad. At twelve, Arjun works alone on timed puzzles and takes pride in quick, independent reasoning. Sunita solves problems by talking them over with elders and keeping the family's needs in mind. She keeps working at a task until it is done, acts firmly once she has decided, knows her own wishes and notices how others feel. Their teacher says neither child is less able; each has learnt a different way of thinking from the world around them. Sunita's grandmother has her own Sanskrit word for Sunita's good sense.
The teacher's remark matches Vygotsky's view of how culture shapes the mind. According to Vygotsky, which of the following statements is correct?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 3
The correct answer is Option (3) → Walking is an elementary mental function and is universal across cultures.
Option (1) Problem solving is an elementary mental function and is universal across cultures. — Incorrect. Problem solving is a higher mental function. The way it works is largely culture-produced, as Sunita and Arjun show, so it is not universal.
Option (2) Attending to the mother's voice is a higher mental function and is largely culture-produced. — Incorrect. Attending to the mother's voice is an elementary mental function. Vygotsky saw it as universal.
Option (3) Walking is an elementary mental function and is universal across cultures. — Correct. Vygotsky held that elementary mental functions, such as crying, attending to mother's voice, sensitivity to smells, walking and running, are universal. Walking is one of them, so it is the same in every culture. The two children differ in problem solving, which is a higher function.
Option (4) Thinking is an elementary mental function and is largely culture-produced. — Incorrect. The culture-produced part is right, but the label is wrong. Thinking is a higher mental function, the kind culture shapes; elementary functions are the universal ones.
NCERT (2026-27): “CULTURE AND INTELLIGENCE … |