ABSTRACT
The ability to regulate one’s problem solving behavior flexibly and efficiently is a major milestone in cognitive development. This ability originates in communication (Vygotsky, 1934/1962). During infancy, caregivers use speech to orient children’s attention and involve them in interaction. Initially, caretakers maintain the dialogue, taking any gesture or sound as a response and even responding for the child when he/she is attentive but no response is forthcoming (Snow, 1977). With the emergence of reciprocity toward the end of the first year, however, children come to realize that their actions and responses affect their caretakers’ behavior and begin to take some responsibility for maintaining the interaction and to experiment with self- and other-control (Kopp, 1982). Speech plays a central role in these developments. During problem solving interactions in which more competent others guide their behavior, children use speech to signal their intent to increase their contribution; subsequently, when their partner is not available, children recreate his/her speech and use it to regulate themselves. At first, speech is used only as an afterthought or as an accompaniment to action; when children realize its self-regulatory power, they begin to use it to precede and guide their behavior (Luria, 1982; Vygotsky, 1934/1962).
