Сomparative study of the formation of concepts using real geometric figures and contour images as stimuli in children at the age of 4 to 5 years

Abstract

Background. In preschool age, age-related changes in the principles of information processing are observed. The formation of concepts is a convenient approach for the comparative study of the cognitive abilities of healthy children and children with a high risk of the impairment of the intelligence formation. Objective. The goal of the work was to conduct the comparative study of the formation of concepts using real geometric figures and flat contour images as stimuli in 4–5-year-old children. Design and methods. The original method was used in which a child independently revealed a certain pattern of choosing stimuli under the conditions of the simultaneous presentation of four objects or images. Results. The speed of forming the concepts of the "size" and "shape"/"contour shape" did not significantly differ in the 4-5-year-old children. However, the formation of both the concepts required the longer learning period with using the contour images compared to the the learning period with using real objects as stimuli. The heterogeneity of the 4–5-year-old children group was related to the difference of the speed of forming concepts. This fact implies the qualitative differences in the processing of information. In the children with long-lasting training, the synthesis of separate empirical representations took place due to the inductive function of abstract thinking. Some children probably have already possessed those concepts and they could quickly relate rewarded concrete stimuli to those concepts using the deductive function of abstract thinking. Conclusion. Our experimental psychological method using contour images can be used in clinical practice with the subsequent transition to stimuli on a computer screen with the simultaneous recording of brain activity to study the dynamics of the children mental development, as well as to identify delays and deviations in their cognitive sphere.

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