| Abstract: | Children aged 5–6 years performed a problem-solving task designed to investigate the source of cognitive gain observed after peer social interaction. In a joint problem-solving context, pairs of subjects had to work by using a tool whose function was to facilitate and regulate their solving activity. The role of each partner in the dyads was established by the experimenter in the “socio-regulated interaction” group but not in the “free interaction” group. A control group of single children was also included in the present study. The assumption was that role allocation would facilitate semiotic mediation and lead to differentiation in the solving activities. The “free interaction group” obtained the highest performance in the joint problem solving context, whereas a delayed post-test revealed that “socio-regulated interaction” leads to the highest improvements in individual performance. These findings are discussed with reference to the activity-regulation systems and the appropriation mechanisms of regulation. |
