The psychology of schooling and cultural learning: some thoughts about the intellectual legacy of the Laboratory of Comparative Human Cognition

ABSTRACT

Through a personal account of my experiences with the work of the Laboratory of Comparative Human Cognition (LCHC), I reflect on the contributions that cultural psychology has made to our understanding of the psychological consequences of schooling and literacy. Placing special attention on the contributions of Michael Cole, I argue that the impact of schooling and literacy on human development must be distinguished from the process of cultural learning. The realization that cultural learning is a richer and more elaborated process than schooling is one of the main legacies of Cultural Psychology for the twenty-first century.

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No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

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Funding

This paper was supported by a grant from the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile (VRI Puente 1171891.)