DEPTH RELATIONSHIPS IN YOUNG CHILDRENS DRAWINGS

Attempts to represent the occlusion of a further object by a nearer one are infrequent in the drawings of young children. Children [64] of mean age 6 yr 10 mo. were asked to draw 2 opaque objects placed 1 behind the other. Previous findings were confirmed in that over 2/3 of the children drew the 2 objects separately in a horizontal or, more commonly, a vertical relationship. In the 2nd part of the study the children were asked to draw an opaque object which they saw placed inside and/or behind a transparent glass beaker. All inside glass drawings showed the object within the confines of the glass, but half of the behind glass drawings showed the object to the side of, or above, the glass. Implications of these findings are discussed in terms of an orientation to the visual world rather than the visual field.