Contributions to contemporary research of Luria's cultural-historical approach

Abstract

This essay aims to explore the fecundity of the postulates of Alexander Romanovich Luria to contemporary research. More specifically, it will seek to elucidate the vigor of the premises, ideas, and investigation procedures adopted in his studies on mental processes in their relation to culture throughout a career that spanned almost six decades. The contributions of the Lurian approach are illustrated by the description of some of the studies he carried out last century. The text places emphasis on the promising nature of this approach for the investigation of human development, since it makes it possible to understand the phenomena in their complexity, the need to create research instruments and procedures capable of ensuring this understanding, and also the active role played by the researcher in the formulation of questions and in the conduction of empirical research. The presentation and analysis of features representative of the various themes explored by the author reveal a researcher determined to understand the complex process of the human constitution through the fertile combination of investigations on the biological roots of psychological functioning and the historical making of the human psyche.