The psychological technique "4 extra" is used in work with children of senior preschool or primary school age. It is aimed at studying the characteristics of the child's thinking, helps to establish the level of development of logic, the ability to analyze and generalize, classify objects according to common characteristics. Also, the child will have to explain to the psychologist testing him why he decided this.
The "4 extra" technique includes several stages. The first has a visual form and is a series of pictures depicting four objects. Three of them are related, for example, belong to the same species or have common features. The child must identify one extra item that does not fit into the group. The next stage of the study takes place in the form of a word game. In this version, only objects are named, without visualization. However, in addition to the fact that the child needs to correctly identify the extra object, he must also explain why he thinks so.
BIn the article we will describe in detail how the "4 extra" technique is carried out with children of older preschool age when determining readiness for schooling, how the work is consistently performed, what material is used. You will learn how to record and transcribe the results of children's answers.
Historical information
The technique of eliminating 4 extra items was used back in the 50s. In the laboratory of the Institute of Psychiatry, cards were developed, copied and sent to clinical workers. Soviet psychologist Susanna Yakovlevna Rubinshtein devoted a book to experimental methods of pathopsychology. The stimulus material printed in it consists of 17 cards, but these are no longer used today.
Time moves inexorably forward, and the pictures depicted ancient items that have irrevocably gone into the past. Many children simply could not find out what kind of object was drawn. For example, a kerosene lamp or a cart, a radio or an old receiver. Even older preschoolers did not recognize the ancient objects, naturally, they could not explain their purpose.
Therefore, Rubinstein's stimulus material in the "4 extra" method is outdated and it was decided to replace it with new, more modern tables. They are also used in work with deaf and dumb children. Let's take a closer look at what the test, developed by Belopolskaya Natalia Lvovna, consists of.
Pre-test briefing
The child is given a series of pictures and asked to carefully consider all the objects that are drawn on them. Of the four images, you need to find the one that does notfits (according to the child) into the group.
If the child is at a loss, a psychologist or other researcher may ask leading questions. This applies only to the first card, the child works on the rest on his own.
Test material
The cards in the "4 extra" method are arranged in series, each of which is able to reveal the conceptual features of the child's thinking. They are divided into groups in order of complexity of the task. So, if in the first series in the picture the child must separate the fourth, larger size from three geometric figures of the same size, then further it is necessary to classify objects according to their belonging to the same community or having the same characteristics.
In the figure above, plants are located on the first table, and the cat should be called superfluous. In the second picture - you need to name an apple, since this is the only edible item on the card.
Verbal test
For younger students, the "4 extra" technique is carried out in verbal form. The child is read aloud 5 words, for example, sofa, wardrobe, bed, ceiling, armchair. He must listen carefully and determine that 4 words can be attributed to pieces of furniture, and the ceiling is superfluous, since it is part of the room.
The complication of the task is also done gradually. For example, from the following words - deep, high, low, small, light, only the last one means the color of the object, the rest are signs of size.
Test results
The child is offered 17 tasks. All answers are recorded, and not only the correctness of the definition of an extra object is recorded, but also how the child explained his choice. Sometimes a student may choose a kind of wrong answer, but his explanation leads to a positive conclusion that his thinking is well developed. A non-standard answer gives the researcher a reason to conduct deeper testing.
Some children, on the contrary, simplify their choice by naming objects that begin with one letter or on the basis of a uniform shape. Such responses are built on weak, latent signs.
Results are divided into the following types, starting with good answers:
- correctly identified the extra item and explained its ownership;
- first wrong, then corrected;
- came up with my own explanation;
- explains in his own way, but with the help of research;
- can't tell the difference even with the help of an adult.
Bad answers indicate that the child has a specific mindset, he does not know how to build generalizations on certain grounds.
