Effect of Relevant Training on Understanding of Plant Reproduction in Preschoolers Aged 5 to 6 / 中国心理卫生杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective:To explore effect of relevant training on understanding of theory of naive biology for plant reproduction in 5- and 6-years old,and to attempt to provide demonstration for a debate of different views between domain universality and domain specificity cognitive development.Methods:48 preschoolers who did not comprehend concept of plant reproduction screened from 64 preschoolers ages 5 to 6 were surveyed by clinical method.Half of the 48 children were assigned to intervention group,the other to control group.The effects of intervention were compared by the experimental before-after design.Results:Relevant biological knowledge might widely accelerate 5- and 6-year-olds' understandings for plant reproduction,and 6-year-olds had more enhancement than 5-year-olds.Pass rates of intervention group were more 29.2% than control group in 5 year olds,and more 54.1% in 6 year olds.Conclusion:Acquiring specific knowledge will generally improve preschoolers' cognition on plant reproduction.Children' cognitive development is influenced jointly by both domain-specific and domain-general thinking.