Effects of unfamiliarity on the overt verbalisation and perceptual motor behaviour of nursery school children.

Abstract

Summary. A group of nursery school children from poor socio‐economic conditions were subjected to familiar and unfamiliar social and physical conditions. Under unfamiliar conditions, even with opportunity to learn the tasks beforehand, children showed decreased motor‐perceptual and verbal behaviour. They also showed freezing behaviour similar to fear reactions in other animals together with global gazing. Some practical suggestions are made with regard to handling this behaviour in clinical situations together with indications for further research.