This study investigated the development of 40 pre-school children, aged from 5 to 7, performing tasks involving a process of memorizing instructions in three different conditions of using cultural signs.The method was based on tasks given to children in the form of games that they could win by following the instructions. The application was done individually, varying the tasks, the instructions and the age groups. An analysis of variance was done and the qualitative analysis was based on notes and videos. The results showed that the older children used the signs as mnemonic resources with greater efficacy than the younger ones. Significant differences were found between two instructions types. In the tasks where the adult made suggestions, all the age groups improved their performance. This suggested to us that a zone of proximal development was created.
mnemonic resources; psychological operations; pre-school children; signs
