Rossolimo Methods

ROSSOLIMO METHODS. The elementary method is an experimental-psychological investigation of elementary representations in preschool children (end of "first childhood", approximately 4 years of age). The method is based on elementary intellectual processes (representations in visual, motor, and visual-motor areas) and their various combinations, which serve as the basis for acquiring primary skills. The method consists of 14 tasks corresponding to the capabilities of a normally developed intellect at the end of "first childhood". At this age, as experience and observation have shown, the child already has a number of representations, namely of length, height, width, area, distance, position in space, number, shape, depth, of basic colors and time. Some of these representations develop early, others are delayed, but by the 4th year they should already be present in a normal child. The research is based on the principle of comparative assessment of the appearance of two objects and the principle of imitative movements. The response reaction consists of a pointing movement of the subject child's hand, whereby a verbal response, which could have complicated the child, becomes unnecessary. A correct solution is marked with a plus, an incorrect one with a minus. For the study of length, two plates of different lengths (10 and 4 cm) are placed before the child; the experimenter has a similar pair; he places one of the plates before the child, asking him to choose from those at his disposal an identical one; the same is repeated with the second plate. Similarly, height, width, area, thickness, and volume are investigated. Distance is investigated by two cylinders placed at some (2-3 cm) distance from each other, and the same distance is offered to the child to establish between the cylinders he has. For the study of color perception, white, yellow, red, green, blue and black cards are placed before the child and he is asked to choose from them those corresponding to those shown him by the experimenter. Position in space is investigated with the help of a toy table and some small objects, successively placed on different sides of the table, as well as on its surface, and the child is asked to reproduce the same positions. The concept of quantity is investigated by means of unequal piles of rings arranged on a wire. The representation of shape is investigated by means of a collection of figures of different shapes (square, circle, triangle, etc.) also by the method of comparison with the offered object and subsequent choice of an identical shape. The representation of depth is investigated by comparing the depth of two cylinders, which is done by immersing the child's finger in them. The representation of weight is investigated by comparing two weights (in the shape of a chicken egg) of equal volume, placed successively on the child's hand. For the study of representations of time intervals, the child is asked to reproduce a movement shown by the experimenter, who strikes his hand on the table sometimes slowly, sometimes quickly.

The brief method. Proceeding from the need to determine the intellectual giftedness of children entering primary school, with the aim of early identification of children who are intellectually deficient and directing them to auxiliary schools, G.I. Rossolimo created the "brief method" of psychological research, based on the same principles as the psychological profile method (see). The brief method consists of 27 experiments intended for the study of attention, memory and higher (associative) processes. The evaluation is alternative (answers are marked with + and -); the calculation of results consists in determining the number of positive responses. All the necessary equipment for the research is collected in a small, portable album. The study of simple attention stability is carried out by the method of piercing holes arranged in a known order on cardboard; the study of attention stability with selection is carried out by the same method of piercing, but only holes with special marks, skipping the others. A negative evaluation is given in cases of: omission, repeated piercing, and piercing a point that could not be pierced. The study of accuracy of perception is carried out by the method of recognition, judgment and reproduction of drawings exhibited before the subject. The ability to remember is studied by means of visual (pictures) objects and elements of speech (three phrases, each of two-three words). Evaluation is given separately for each of the three pictures and for each of the three phrases. For the study of comprehension, the subject is asked to briefly state the content of two separate pictures and the content of two series of pictures (the first consists of two moments, the second of three), which represent illustrations of two simple events from everyday life. In addition, comprehension is investigated by the subject identifying "visual inconsistencies" in the corresponding drawings. Combinatorial abilities are investigated by the method of reconstructing the whole from parts, for which the subject is offered to assemble cut-up pictures (four), as well as by the method of reconstructing correct geometric figures from geometric elements (squares and triangles) that make up these figures (three figures). Ingenuity is investigated by means of a test: to give a stable vertical position to a small cardboard plate with the help of another such plate. For the study of imagination, an unfinished drawing is demonstrated to the subject and he is asked to answer what this drawing should depict. The last test pertains to the study of observation, for which the subject is shown a drawing of a grid consisting of squares, among which two are connected in a rectangle; it is required to notice this irregularity. As numerous studies of healthy and backward children have shown, children with normal intelligence give no fewer than 23 correct responses; moderately gifted children give from 23 to 18 correct responses; imbeciles give from 18 to 13; the number of correct responses below 13 characterizes imbecility. Besides its main significance - simplified determination of the degree of backwardness - the brief method, in the author's opinion, is suitable as an introductory exercise before research by the psychological profile method, because during brief observation of the course of responses the researcher has the opportunity to verify the presence or absence in the child of skills necessary for work on the "profile", as well as to accustom the subject to himself and to the working conditions. The brief method described, used in individual experiments, has been adapted by the author for mass surveys; for this purpose the principle of graphic responses has been used. All tests are set out on separate sheets. In the study of attention, the subject is asked to pierce points marked with circles and dashes in two figures. To determine the accuracy of perception, a cardboard with a geometric figure is exhibited before the subjects, which children must find among nine figures depicted on their sheets. For the study of visual memory, three pictures are shown and the subject is asked to cross out the corresponding images among 16 pictures on the distributed sheets. Memory for words and numbers is studied without demonstrating tables, but before the subjects again are placed images of ten different objects and ten rectangles of the same size with different numbers, within ten, of circles (domino); the experimenter first names three objects, asking to cross out the corresponding images, and then pronounces three single-digit numbers, which the subjects find in the corresponding numbers of domino circles. In the study of comprehension, the subject is asked to mark the correct images of objects or actions in a series of pictures, among which there are also inconsistencies. The ability to combine is revealed by recognizing (and crossing out) parts of objects from which a whole object or image of an event can be composed, previously announced by the experimenter; among the parts drawn on the sheets there are also some that do not belong to those designated by the experimenter. The same methodology is applied in the study of the other processes. Duration of research from 20 to 30 minutes. The evaluation is also alternative; positive responses are counted according to the main sections of the experiment (attention, memory and higher processes); the numerical result of the experiment is depicted in the form of a "formula", e.g.: 23 = 2 (out of two) + 11 (out of twelve) + 10 (out of thirteen). The author's research and that of his assistants showed that in children showing normal school performance, the average number of positive solutions of the test experiments equals 21.1; in underachieving children this number decreases to 17.3. Normal schools gave 58% of average students figures from 17.1 to 23.5. The author suggests assigning to the group of gifted children with the number of pluses from 23 to 27; to average ones from 20 to 23 and to mentally deficient ones from 17 to 20. Evaluation of the method-see Psychological profile.