Reviews pertinent developmental and neuropsychological literature and arrives at a hypothesis relating the left brain lateralization of speech to the origin of early naming as part of selective (right-biased) orienting to perceived salience or change. (Author/SS)

Reviews new developments in the field of child language acquisition that emphasize the role of communication and dialogue. Mentions work on precursors to dialogue in infancy, the development of communicative intent, and the importance of cognitive over syntactic strategies of language processing by the young child. (Author/SS)

Deals with some of the confusions that have arisen due to inaccurate translation and misunderstanding of Vygotsky's general theoretical framework. Also discusses how social interaction at the level of interpsychological functioning can lead to independent problem solving at the intrapsychological level. (Author/MP)