Development of Formal-logical and Dialectical Thinking in Children of 5-8 Years Old

This article presents the longitudinal study results dedicated to evaluation of formal-logical and dialectical thinking development in senior preschool children (5-6 and then 6-7 years old) as well as in elementary school children (7-8 years old). The formal-logical thinking study included 58 children. We used Piaget tests: "Probability", "Scales" and "Cylinder". The dialectical thinking study included 92 children. We evaluated three techniques: "Drawing an unusual tree", "What can be both at the same time?" and "Cycles". Data of 52 children who participated in the study at the age of 5-6 years old and 7-8 years old were used for the correlation analysis. The research results showed that the preschool age is sensitive for the development of formal operations as well as dialectical thought activities. A positive correlation was identified between the ability of 5-6 and 7-8 years old children to coordinate two differently directed movements to create a holistic image and overcome contradictions. It was also found that during the transition to learning at school, indicators for solving a creative problem (which involved the independent construction of opposite objects) decreased.