15 Facts About Activity theory

Activity theory is an umbrella term for a line of eclectic social-sciences theories and research with its roots in the Soviet psychological activity theory pioneered by Sergei Rubinstein in the 1930s.

Activity theory is more of a descriptive meta-theory or framework than a predictive theory.

The object of activity theory is to understand the unity of consciousness and activity.

Origins of activity theory can be traced to several sources, which have subsequently given rise to various complementary and intertwined strands of development.

Leont'ev's formulation of general activity theory is currently a strong influence in post-Soviet developments in AT, which have largely been in social-scientific, organizational, and writing-studies rather than psychological research and organization.

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Second major line of development within activity theory involves Russian scientists, such as P K Anokhin and Nikolai Bernstein, more directly concerned with the neurophysiological basis of activity; its foundation is associated with the Soviet philosopher of psychology Sergei Rubinstein.

Activity theory concluded that Pavlov's reflexionism was not a sufficient explanation of animal behaviour and that animals have an active relation to reality, which he called "activity".

Goal of activity theory is understanding the mental capabilities of a single individual.

The object of activity theory is to understand the unity of consciousness and activity.

Activity theory theorists argue that consciousness is not a set of discrete disembodied cognitive acts, and certainly it is not the brain; rather, consciousness is located in everyday practice: you are what you do.

Activity theory therefore includes the notion that an activity is carried out within a social context, or specifically in a community.

Activity theory provides a number of useful concepts that can be used to address the lack of expression for 'soft' factors which are inadequately represented by most process modelling frameworks.

Activity theory recognises that each activity takes place in two planes: the external plane and the internal plane.

Activity theory further argues that subjects are grouped into communities, with rules mediating between subject and community and a division of labour mediating between object and community.

Activity theory has an interesting approach to the difficult problems of learning and, in particular, tacit knowledge.