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Supporting preschoolers' cognitive development: Short- and mid-term effects of fluid reasoning, visuospatial, and motor training.

Valentina GizzonioMaria Chiara BazziniCosima MarsellaPamela PapangeloGiacomo RizzolattiMaddalena Fabbri-Destro
Published in: Child development (2021)
Cognitive abilities are essential to children's overall growth; thus, the implementation of early and effective training interventions is a major challenge for developmental psychologists and teachers. This study explores whether an intervention simultaneously operating on fluid reasoning (FR), visuospatial, narrative, and motor abilities could boost these competencies in a group of Italian preschoolers (N = 108, 54 males 54 females, Agemean  = 4.04). FR and visuospatial abilities showed training-related increases at the end of the training and 1-year follow-up (moderate effect size). Interestingly, positive correlations with working memory and mathematical abilities were found. Beyond their scientific relevance, the short- and long-term effects provide fundamental indications for designing and implementing educational programs dedicated to preschoolers.
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