In this volume, readers are introduced to Vygotsky's argument for a theoretical and methodological approach to differentiate A "higher" mental functions from the more basic brain processes that other theorists believed were at the center of the psychological apparatus. The famed Soviet psychologist's view of developmental issues as an intricately woven tapestry of functions includes analyses of:

- the development of speech and written language
- the mastering of attention and mnemonic skills
- self-control and the higher, more cultivated forms of behavior
- the cultural age, personality, and world view of children.