Change Laboratory

  Actions and activity as a Unit of Analysis Text by Marco Querol https://open.spotify.com/episode/6MyjrWSBlJ2C1vxUkogUlK?si=G7yx-z1CSWagIFV9BVWnVQ Mediated Actions Vygotsky proposed the theory that human actions are mediated by signs, symbols, and tools (Figure 1). These mediators are called cultural instruments or artifacts. Studies that take mediated action as the unit of analysis are considered as the 1st generation in Activity Theory. Figure 1 The mediated action, reformulation of Vygotsky's version by Engeström (1987). There are different types of artifacts that mediate human actions (Wartofski, 1979). There are primary artifacts that are directly used to transform an object (e.g., a hoe), but there are also symbolic mediators, such as the knowledge we have about how to plant tomatoes, when to plant them, how deep, in what type of soil, number of seeds, how much water to put in, and so on. There are also secondary artifacts that are representations of the syste...

  What is an activity and the object of an activity? Text by Marco Querol mapquero@gmail.com Activity In everyday use, the term activity usually refers to actions that we perform on a daily basis. In Activity Theory, however, the concept has a specific meaning: it is the set of actions that a collective conducts to transform an object into a determined result. https://open.spotify.com/episode/6MIa4tQH4DGGCsGDR06xwK?si=Sfth2vApQ9qkIHy39jxH2A The object is another core concept of Cultural Historical Activity Theory (CHAT). Initially, it can be said that the object is that which has the capacity to satisfy or transform one or more human needs. It represents, therefore, the motivation that guides and drives the actions of individuals. It is not about any artifact, but about what motivates and is in the process of being transformed into an expected result. ATTENTION! object is, at the same time, the raw material and the idealized result. An example of the health care servi...