ABSTRACT
The notion of a “psychology of deafness” has been examined in the literature for many centuries. Moores (1987) stated that, in the 20th century alone, three major perspectives have emerged: (a) deaf as deficient (Pintner & Patterson, 1917), (b) deaf as concrete (Mykelbust, 1964), and (c) deaf as equivalent but different (Furth, 1964). More recently, a fourth perspective has become increasingly used for studying cognitive development, particularly with regard to the role of education. This theory, broadly defined as social construction, states that the origins of cognitive development in individuals are found in social interaction, particularly in the interactions that are mediated through the use of meaningful symbols, primarily language (Vygotsky, 1978). Thus, the origins of cognition and cognitive development are viewed as interpersonal rather than
intrapersonal. Therefore, although the potential for higher level thinking resides within the individual, its actual development is triggered and mediated by symbolic interaction.
