By: Nicholas Bakalar
Tuesday, June 23, 2009

A simple five-minute behavioral test for children entering kindergarten can predict significant gains in mathematics skills over the course of the year, researchers have found.

Claire Cameron Ponitz, a research associate at the University of Virginia, led a group that tested 343 children with the Head-Toes-Knees-Shoulders task, in which children perform the opposite of an oral command (for example, the correct response for “touch your toes” would be to touch your head). Higher scores, the researchers write in the May issue of Developmental Psychology, indicate a greater ability to control and direct one’s own behavior, an ability essential for success in the structured environment of a kindergarten class.

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To read the article, see the New York Times website at

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/23/health/research/23chil.html?emc=eta1