ABSTRACT
This chapter provides an overview of the existing research in the field with emphasis on Piaget's most influential studies and those which were done in Russia. It presents recent research on the development of elements of dialectical thinking in young children. The chapter shows that even at preschool age children find themselves in situations that require dialectical thinking and through specially organized instruction become capable of demonstrating elements of dialectical thinking in problem-solving in play and the arts. Davydov's approach leads to the formation of dialectical thinking in students. It was found that the Cuban children also used dialectical thinking, but differently because of cultural specifics. The study of the mechanism of dialectical thinking was based on Lev Vygotsky's cultural-historical theoretical framework. The use of cyclic representations as means of dialectical thinking is also justified by the fact that the child lives in cyclic processes.
