THE DEVELOPMENT OF DEPTH REPRESENTATION IN CHILDRENS DRAWINGS - EFFECTS OF GRAPHIC SURFACE AND VISIBILITY OF THE MODEL

This experiment investigates the role of the orientation of the drawing surface (horizontal vs. vertical) and the visibility of the model to be reproduced (visible vs. hidden) on children's drawings of partially occluded or fully visible objects placed one behind another. A total of 256 children, aged 5-11 years, were asked to make two drawings of two objects located at different distances from each other along an oblique line with reference to subject's viewing position. Drawings were analysed according to the reproduced inter-object distance and angular relations between the two objects. Results show that the drawings were closer to the real spatial relations existing in the model on horizontal surfaces and closer to the projected spatial relations on vertical surfaces. Visibility of the model played a role only in interaction with orientation of graphic surface. Paradoxically, when the model remained visible, children who were drawing on a vertical transparent screen had difficulties in rendering the appearance of the scene. The main effects were salient between 7 and 9 years. These findings are discussed in terms of coordination and differentiation of physical and symbolic aspects of graphic surface paralleled by the construction of a unique stable viewpoint.