SYSTEM MODEL OF SIGN-SYMBOLIC ACTIVITY IN PRESCHOOLERS

The system model of sign-symbolic activity's development in ontogenesi s is offered. Its three stages are marked out: low level - replacement , middle level - modelling, and high one - mental experimenting, each characterized by qualitative peculiarities in idealized objectivity's construction. The central process for preschool age is modelling, whic h is studied experimentally. Original method <<Buttons>> was designed to study if senior preschoolers master the modelling and the means of it. The results show that about 70% of senior preschoolers can compare modelled properties to known concrete ones.