Relations between preschool activity and aspects of intellectual and social behavior at age 71/2

Explored the relations between preschool high activity and school-age behavior in 120 Ss at age 21/2 and in 62 of them at age 71/2. Two reliable clusters of observed behaviors, activity level and social participation, were associated with teacher ratings of vigorous, high-active play. These 2 factors and the activity ratings were significantly related to behavior at age 71/2. For both boys and girls, vigorous, high activity showed considerable stability over 5 yrs. Vigorous, intense behavior expressed by high activity levels was negatively related to various measures of cognitive and intellective performance at age 71/2 (WISC, Children's Embedded Figures Test, and Siegel Sorting Task). Vigorous, intense behavior as expressed in social participation was positively related to the same measures of intellectual performance. The activity level component was highly related to an index of minor physical anomalies, whereas the social participation component was not. (15 ref)