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The influence of experience on children's drawings of a familiar and unfamiliar object
Author(s) -
Moore Vanessa
Publication year - 1987
Publication title -
british journal of developmental psychology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.062
H-Index - 75
eISSN - 2044-835X
pISSN - 0261-510X
DOI - 10.1111/j.2044-835x.1987.tb01057.x
Subject(s) - object (grammar) , psychology , nonsense , cube (algebra) , depiction , orientation (vector space) , cognitive psychology , communication , developmental psychology , artificial intelligence , linguistics , computer science , mathematics , geometry , biochemistry , chemistry , philosophy , gene
It has been suggested that children copy pictures of objects less accurately than non‐object patterns of equal complexity because they are concerned to preserve properties of the object known to them in drawing (Phillips et al ., 1978). This suggestion was investigated further by examining the accuracy of children's copies of outline drawings of a familiar object (a cube) and an unfamiliar nonsense object before and after controlled exposure to a three‐dimensional model of each object. Thirty 7‐year‐olds and 30 9‐year‐olds were assigned to one of two exposure conditions: VISUAL, in which the models were viewed in a standard orientation, or MANIPULATIVE, in which the models were explored manually, or to a control condition in which no models were presented. It was found that initial copies of the cube drawings were less accurate than initial copies of the nonsense object, and that children of both ages copied less accurately following exposure to both models, with no difference between the two exposure conditions. These findings suggest that minimal exposure to the properties of an object is sufficient to induce children to represent this information in drawing, even if the result is a less accurate depiction than they are capable of producing.