The Child’s Perception of Pictorial Space:A Study Based on the Theories of Jean Piaget

by Lisa Runyon

ScribblingUp to age 2;6 – 2;11

TopologicalRelationships

• No purpose or aims can be discerned • Shows no variation no matter what the model• Unable to close a line to form a shape

Topological relationships evolve from scribbling. These relationshipsare acquired in the order listed below. They form the foundation forthe next stage of visual perception, synthetic incapacity.– Rule of proximity: Most basic spatial relationship. For example, in the

drawing of a face the various parts are drawn near to each otherand not scattered to the edges of the paper.

– Rule of separation: the elements that are drawn are distinguishedfrom each other. Difficulty drawing simple geometric shapes.

– Rule of order: some degree of spatial succession and symmetry isattained; parts are arranged sequentially. For example, facial fea-tures are in the correct order; in a profile of a dog the tail is drawnon the end of a dog, not on the head .

– Rule of enclosure: further differentiates between the inside and theoutside of the figure or simple geometric shapes

– Rule of continuity: attachment of body parts

Statement of Problem: Is it possible to determine the stage of a child’s development by havingthem draw a picture of a tree behind a house? Will children who are the same age be in thesame stage of development?

Hypothesis: It is possible to determine the stage of development of a child by his response tothe task “draw a tree behind a house.” Children in the similar stages of development will havesimilar solutions to the drawing task. This will be revealed when the drawings are scored. Thechildren who have been identified by a school district as “gifted” will have responses thatshow a more advanced stage of development than same age children in a regular class.

Precursors of Pictorial Perception:

Stage I:Synthetic Incapacity(ages 3-4)

Early preoperationalstage

Stage II:Intellectual Realism(ages 4-8)

Late preoperationalstage to early concrete stage

Predominance of topological relationships, for example:• a body with arms and legs stuck onto a head with no torso• parts of figures juxtaposed instead of linked together, for example a

person sitting above a chair instead of on it• no Euclidean relationships: no proportions, length or shape relation-

ships, no perspective

Examples:

Drawing not what the child actually sees of the object but “everything‘that is there’.”• Drawings include more details• Euclidean and projective relationships are just beginning to emerge• Topological relationships are now universally applied to all shapes

– Proximities are correct, or at least aimed at– Separations are made more clearly– In complex drawings order of succession is found– Continuity is well defined– Relationship of enclosure is important - often representing the interior

of objects

“Errors” include:• Transparencies - see through objects• Mixed views - example, front and side together• Fold-out drawings - flattened perspective• Arrange figures side-by-side ignoring vertical dimension-flat, no depth• Lack of occlusion - one object stands behind another to partially

obscure view

Examples:

Three Stages of Pictorial Perception:

Stage III:Visual Realism(ages 8-12)

Concrete operationalstage to early formaloperational stage

• Projective and Euclidean relations develop from earlier topologicalones. From age 9 (approximately) child can draw in proper perspective

• Relations of left, right, in-front and behind can be represented• Drawings with straight lines, angles, curves, distance shown through

various transformations• Viewpoint of observer is respected• Foreshortening will appear around adolescence, often with instruction

Examples:

Three Stages of Pictorial Perception:

Conclusion: The “draw a tree behind a house” task is successful in identifying children thatare in Stage III: Visual Realism because proper perspective is a strong characteristic of thisstage. Children who are in this stage vary between concrete operational stage to early formaloperational stage. As evidenced by the three Piaget tasks the subjects completed after thedrawing, as a group they show the ability to conserve, decentrate, and think abstractly.

Children in Stage I: Synthetic Incapacity also show strong characteristics in their drawing asoutlined previously. The simplicity of the drawings combined with the inability to conserveand egocentric speech when drawing indicate the preoperational stage of development.

The most difficult children to identify were those who were not at an extreme. These childrenexhibited a wide range of “errors” in their drawings. It is difficult to know if they lost interest,were in a hurry, etc. However, most of the students in this stage are unable to do all tasks with-out an error. It is possible that limitations in this study could have contributed to those incorrectanswers.