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L. S. Vygotsky
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L. S. Vygotsky

Soviet psychologist
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Also known as: Lev Semyonovich Vygotsky
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Last Updated: • Article History
Quick Facts
Born:
Nov. 5, 1896, Orsha, Russia
Died:
June 11, 1934, Moscow
Also Known As:
Lev Semyonovich Vygotsky
Subjects Of Study:
consciousness
See all related content

L. S. Vygotsky (born Nov. 5, 1896, Orsha, Russia—died June 11, 1934, Moscow) was a Soviet psychologist. He studied linguistics and philosophy at the University of Moscow before becoming involved in psychological research. While working at Moscow’s Institute of Psychology (1924–34), he became a major figure in post-revolutionary Soviet psychology. He studied the role of social and cultural factors in the making of human consciousness; his theory of signs and their relationship to the development of speech influenced psychologists such as A.R. Luria and Jean Piaget. His best-known work, Thought and Language (1934), was briefly suppressed as a threat to Stalinism.

This article was most recently revised and updated by Encyclopaedia Britannica.