Approbation of the modified "Sample Reproduction" technique for assessing the level of visual-imaginative thinking development in preschool children

<p><strong>Context and relevance.</strong> Currently, psychological diagnostic practices lack methodologies for assessing visual-imagery thinking, which begins to develop during preschool years and constitutes the primary form of cognitive activity in early childhood. Basing on theoretical perspectives of cognitive development (A.V. Zaporozhets, L.A. Venger, N.N. Poddyakov), T.V. Lavrentyeva developed the "<em>Sample Reproduction</em>" method, which allows assessing the cognitive development level of children aged 3 to 4.5 years. <strong>Objective. </strong>The objective of this study to evaluate the psychometric properties of the <em>Sample Reproduction</em> method. <strong>Methods and materials.</strong> The <em>Sample Reproduction</em> method was administered to 722 children from various regions of Russia, aged 3 to 4.5 years (mean age = 45 ± 3 months). To assess external validity, teachers evaluated each child’s success in classroom activities and ability to think and reflect, using a 6-point scale across the following domains: 1) familiarization with the environment; 2) formation of elementary mathematical concepts; 3) speech development; 4) drawing; 5) plasticine modeling; 6) collage making. Additionally, teachers provided an overall assessment of the child’s general ability to think and reflect. <strong>Results.</strong> Statistical analysis confirmed that the tasks of the methodology are structured with complexity, determined by the degree of mastery of actions using a sample as a solution tool. The results of the correlation analysis between educators’ assessments and the success of completing the tasks of the "Sample Reproduction" methodology indicate its validity. The validity of the methodology is supported by the fact that older children perform the tasks more successfully. To draw conclusions regarding the use of the methodology in working with children with disabilities, a study on a sample with a significantly larger number of children in this category is required. <strong>Conclusions. </strong>The findings confirmed the validity of the methodology and its ability to differentiate early preschool children basing on their level of visual-imagery thinking development.</p>