Children's
Use of the Height and Size Cues to Depict a Projective Depth Relationship
in Their Pictures
M. V. Cox & J. Perara |
Children
from 4-9 years and a group of adults participated in two studies
of the use of the height and size pictorial depth cues. In study
1 160 participants drew two apples from imagination, one near and
one farther away. Half drew on a blank piece of paper and half drew
on a line-drawing of a table; there were no differences between the
drawings produced in these two conditions. The majority of 4-year-olds
and almost all of the 5-year-olds used the height cue. There was
a developmental shift by age 9 when children combined the height
and size cues. In study 2 320 participants drew or constructed a
picture of two apples either from a model or from imagination. The
presence of a model did not affect any age group's use of the height
and size cues. At all ages there was a tendency for the height and
size cues to be combined in the construction rather than in the drawing
condition and, again, there was a developmental shift by age 9 years. Key words: children's drawings, pictorial depth cues |