This paper present results of the research on the specifics of cognitive activity development in preschool children. The hypothesis tested was that content and dynamic components of cognitive activity reveal themselves in a different way depending on the stage of preschool childhood. The authors reviewed the diagnostic tools suitable for studying cognitive activity in preschoolers and selected the techniques. The research proved that content and dynamic components of cognitive activity have their own age specifics; it was found that by the end of preschool age cognitive activity is more expressed in verbal form rather than in productive actions. The outcomes of this research may be applied in educational work with children of preschool age.
Changes in modern preschool education raise the question of the role and place of the teacher-psychologist in the preschool educational organization, of the place and significance of the psychological service as a whole in the system of preschool education. The article provides a brief overview of the historical background of the formation of the psychological education service; its general characteristic is given and the specifics of the psychological service in the preschool educational organization are highlighted. The concept of psychological support in the educational process is disclosed, as well as the currently existing models for organizing the activities of a teacher-psychologist in kindergarten are described. The article also highlights the main problems of the preschool psychological education service and outlines possible solutions.
The article presents the results of an experimental study of the psychological conditions of the development of cognitive activity in preschool age. The study sample included 89 children from 3 to 7 years old. The hypothesis that the development of cognitive activity is interconnected with the development of visual-figurative thinking and imagination is experimentally confirmed. To identify the age specificity of the relationship between the development of cognitive activity and the development of cognitive abilities, a comparison of the results of the study was carried out using factor analysis separately in each age group. On the basis of this, the psychological conditions for the development of the cognitive activity of preschoolers are defined — this is the development of sign-symbolic mediation and the formation of an inter plan of action. The identified psychological conditions make certain adjustments in the identification of priorities in the educational content for preschoolers, and open up opportunities for creating new educational strategies that will enrich and harmonize the child’s cognitive and emotional development.
