Literacy without Schooling: Testing for Intellectual Effects

Abstract

A variety of claims has been made about the relationship between literacy and intellectual development. Many developmental psychologists hold that skills in reading and writing lead inevitably to major transformations in cognitive capacities. Drawing from their observations of unschooled but literate adults, Sylvia Scribner and Michael Cole have questioned some of the generalizations made about the consequences of literacy. Their research among the Vai of Liberia, a people who have invented a syllabic writing system to represent their own language,provides a unique opportunity to investigate the effects of becoming literate separtely from the effects of attending school.

Studying the consequences of literacy within a literate society: The cognitive correlates of print exposure

“…In this literature, an important distinction is made between the indirect, mediated effects of literacy-habits of thought derived through cultural immersion in a literate society-and the direct, nonmediated effects of literacy on a particular individual's cognitive processes and knowledge structures (see Goody, 1987;Scribner & Cole, 1978). For example, illiterates, or people who engage only marginally in literacy activities, may derive certain cognitive benefits from participation in a literate culture.…”

“…In contrast, the cognitive psychologist seeks to explicate the individual effects of having personally engaged in reading/writing activities (Scribner & Cole, 1978. However, the existence of mediated, or indirect, effects of living in a literate society sometimes makes it difficult to assess the direct effects of exposure to print.…”

“…However, the existence of mediated, or indirect, effects of living in a literate society sometimes makes it difficult to assess the direct effects of exposure to print. For example, several theorists have linked the acquisition of literacy to processes such as logical reasoning and decontextualized thinking (Greenfield, 1972;Olson, 1977Olson, , 1986Ong, 1982;Scinto, 1986;Scribner & Cole, 1978). In these domains, the likelihood of mediated effects seems particularly high.…”

<b>Can metalinguistic awareness explain a connection between L1 literacy and L2 proficiency level in literate adults?</b><br>DOI:10.5007/2175-8026.2011n60p189

“…Unfortunately, this kind of research is often frowned upon since it presumes that the literate thought is not merely different from the oral but that it entails higher-order capacities which are only possessed by literates (Scribner & Cole, 1978).…”

Problems and Prospects in Comparative Studies of Memory

“…1978. Others have examined the effects ol literacy [Scribner and Cole, 1978;Wagner and Lotfi, 1980], and specific cultural traits [Meacham, 1975] on memory skills. Reviews of recent crosscultural research [Cole and Scribner, 1977;Wagner, 1981] suggest that: (a) many global cultural variables, such as high levels of formal schooling, urbanization, and literacy, specifically facilitate memory development; (b) such differences are most evident in the deliberate use of effortful and active strategies; (c) performance can be enhanced by using culturallyappropriate tasks or special training [Coleet al, 1971;Wagner, 1975], and (d) cross-cultural comparisons are often unreliable due to especially difficult testing conditions and problems in eliciting optimal performance.…”