Informatization as a factor of mental capacity change in preschoolers
UDC 613.95/96 BBK 51.283
One of the important aspects of our humanity is to move to a new stage of development — the Information Society, which has an impact on all spheres of life, including the health of children and which serves as an objective reality.
Over the last decade, due to the growth of informatization, the researchers highlight an increase in the level of aggression, a decline in intellectual performance, a deterioration of mental health, a rise in the number of children with behaviour problems, hyperactivity, inattention, decreased mental capacity.
In the present study some pre-school educational institutions of Irkutsk were examined in the context of informatization changing in the time period from 1998 to 2012. The research allowed revealing changes in the mental health of children.
176 children aged 5.5 to 6.5 years in preschools central district of Irkutsk were observed. Two groups of children were formed: Group 1 – the children who attended kindergarten in 1998 and Group 2 – the children attending kindergarten in 2012. Age groups of preschool children coincided with their calendar age: 5 years 5 months 30 days to 6 years 5 months 30 days. The study of mental health according to Anfilov’s test revealed that in the changing conditions of informatization indicators of mental capacity undergo significant changes. At this stage the speed of information processing increases (p <0.05) and its quality decreases (p< 0.05). The total score of productivity index is not affected. The trend has been expressed more clearly among the boys.
Keywords: children of preschool age/ preschoolers, informatization, mental capacity.
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