SUMMARY
The predictive abilities of children are little investigated in cognitive psychology. The results of empirical studies of predictive thinking of senior preschool age children with underdevelopment are presented. The sample group was 6-7 year old children attending kindergarten. There are 18 children with somatic, speech disorders. We used techniques: “Psychodiagnostic complex (PDC)”, the method of investigating the peculiarities of predictive activity; the method for diagnostics the level of development of verbal-logical thinking. We used the method of participant observation. We presented the data proving that children with a mental underdevelopment more often make mistakes in predictions and mistakes of distractions, elements alternating, strategies change, classification, which reduces their cognitive efficiency. The results demonstrate statistical relationships between the indicators of the ability to prediction, verbal-logical and visual-creative thinking in children of preschool age. Factors influencing the formation of mental abilities of children are discussed.