 The upper limit is the level of potential skill that the child is able to reach with the assistance of a more capable instructor.In this sense, the ZPD provides a prospective view of cognitive development, as opposed to a retrospective view that characterizes development in terms of a child's independent capabilities.The advancement through and attainment of the upper limit of the ZPD is limited by the instructional and scaffolding related capabilities of the more knowledgeable other (MKO).