Role of Culture and Language

• Social interaction with people from our culture allows us to see their problem solving skills and then internalise it.
• The problem solving skills we learn from experts include cognitive tools such as reasoning and language. These sills allow us to understand how the world works and shape our cognitive development.
• The skills we learn are directly specific to the culture that we live in.
• Once these tools have been acquired, they go on to play a critical role in our cognitive development.
• For example, language allows children to shift from basic mental functions to higher mental functions.
• First, language facilitates thoughts through an external monologue, which leads to internalised speech, which therefore leads to internalised thought. Therefore, language and culture lead to cognitive development.