The acquisition of language can provide a paradigm for the entireproblem of the relation between learning and development. Languagearises initially as a means of communication between the child and thepeople in his el).vironment. Only subsequently, upon conversion tointernal speech, does it come to organize the child's thought, that is,become an internal mental function.

three major theoreticalpositions.

Our research has shown that very small children solveproblems using unique mixtures of processes. In contrast with adults,who react differently to objects and to people, young children are likelyto fuse action and speech when responding to both objects and socialbeings. This fusion of activity is analagous to syncretism in perception,which has been described by many developmental psychologists

Those steeped in themethodology of experimental psychology as practiced in most Americanlaboratories may be inclined to withhold the term "experiment" fromVygotsky's studies and consider them to be little more than interestingdemonstrations or pilot studies.