PRESCHOOL KIDS DO BETTER ON TASKS WHEN THEY TALK TO THEMSELVES

FAIRFAX, Va., March 28, 2008—Parents should not worry when their pre-schoolers talk to themselves; in fact, they should encourage it, says Adam Winsler, a professor of psychology at George Mason University. His recent study published in Early Childhood Research Quarterly showed that 5-year-olds do better on motor tasks when they talk to themselves out loud (either spontaneously or when told to do so by an adult) than when they are silent.