Preschool children's use of speech during phases in task completion

TL;DR: In this article, the integration of speech and motoric behaviors emitted by 38 children, ages 3½ to 5 years, during phases in the process of solving a series of six jigsaw puzzles was analyzed by puzzle phases (beginning, middle, end).

Abstract: This paper presents an analysis of the integration of speech and motoric behaviors emitted by 38 children, ages 3½ to 5 years, during phases in the process of solving a series of six jigsaw puzzles. Children's activities during puzzle solving were videotaped; speech was transcribed; speech and nonverbal behavior were unitized and categorized; and the occurrence, category, and duration of each act was noted on an event recorder. Results were analyzed by puzzle phases (beginning, middle, end). Two verbal categories—verbalizations of plans or thoughts and questions and answers to self—were overly represented in the beginning and middle phases, which is also where the failed acts were concentrated. The patterns of cooccurrences and one-step sequences also showed a relationship between task-relevant speech (social and private) and failures or successes requiring trial and error. That relationship appeared primarily at the beginning and middle phases, with nearly an opposite pattern at the end. Results...