The paper investigates the formal characteristics of drawings made by congenitally blind children and teenagers as well as the possibility and level of accuracy in the recognition of these drawings by sighted individuals. The study involved children and students aged seven to fifteen years. The formal features predominant in the drawings analyzed were typical for the failed realism stage. As an additional goal of the study, we investigated the usefulness of the transfograph as an educational resource supporting the introduction of tactile graphics to congenitally blind persons. Drawings made by blind subjects before and after training with a transfograph revealed a similar level of difficulty with their identification. However, following a prompt about the subject of each drawing, those made after the training were described by judges as more easily identifiable. In addition, the drawings made after training showed fewer features of failed realism.
Introduction This paper investigates the question of whether or not subjects who are congenitally blind experience greater difficulties mentally in resizing images of objects than those who have low vision or are adventitiously blind. Methods Two experiments were conducted: one in which subjects were asked to mentally enlarge objects they previously explored manually, and one in which subjects were tested for the ability to demonstrate the change in the size of an object imagined to be moving away. Three groups of high school students with visual impairments took part in the experiment: congenitally blind, “late blind,” and those with low vision. Results When showing the linear size of an object enlarged in their imagination, congenitally blind participants overestimated its size more frequently than those who were late blind. The degree of mental reduction of the size of an object imagined to be moving away was comparable for all groups. Discussion The results suggest that the difficulties experienced by congenitally blind participants with the mental resizing of objects may be related to problems with performing mental scaling transformations. In the low vision group, the etiology of the subjects’ visual impairment was not taken into consideration. The group turned out to be heterogeneous with respect to imagery processes. Implications for practitioners When using models for explaining new concepts, it is important to ensure that congenitally blind learners understand the change of scale.
Introduction: The aim of this study was to determine whether individuals with congenital blindness make more recognizable drawings of known objects that are furniture sized (table, man, tree) rather than hand sized (egg, coconut, banana; Hypothesis 1). We also investigated whether knowledge that the tactile drawings had been produced by people who are blind increased judges’ perceptions of their recognizability (Hypothesis 2). Methods: The raised-line drawings were made by children and teenagers who are blind and had no prior experience in tactile graphics. After a minimal initial training in line drawing, the subjects were asked to draw six objects from memory. The judges used a 7-point Likert-type scale to assess recognizability. All objects were identified for the judges prior to their assessment. One group of judges was told that the drawings they were assessing were made by persons who are blind, while the second group was informed that the drawings were made without the use of sight. Results: The real-life size of the objects depicted in the drawings affected judges’ perception of their recognizability. Depictions of hand-sized objects were found to be less recognizable than were depictions of furniture-sized objects. Knowledge of the artists’ blindness had no effect on the judgments of recognizability. Discussion: Hypothesis 1 was confirmed, which suggests that individuals with congenital blindness have more difficulty in creating drawings of hand-sized objects than they did creating drawings of furniture-sized objects. Hypothesis 2 was not confirmed, which is inconsistent with the results of previous research in which the awareness of the artists’ disability status influenced the assessment of the artworks. Although the present research focused on recognizability, the issue in earlier research was aesthetic judgment. Implications for practitioners: Although few people would question the importance of illustrations in books for sighted children, the value of tactile graphics and the benefits of engaging children who have visual impairments in making and exploring raised-line drawings are not always understood. Full participation in subjects that rely on visual information such as geometry, art, and geography by learners who are born blind requires access to tactile graphics. Basic training in raised-line drawing may be sufficient for some children, particularly those who are older (aged 10 years or more), with congenital blindness who have never drawn before to create from memory recognizable drawings of known objects, especially larger objects.
Przedmiotem badania była analiza cech formalnych występujących w rysunkach dzieci i młodzieży niewidomej od urodzenia, a także zdolność identyfikacji i ocena stopnia rozpoznawalności tych rysunków przez widzących odbiorców. Zbadano uczniów w wieku 7-15 lat. Stwierdzono, że w ich pracach przeważają elementy formalne typowe dla rysunków tworzonych w stadium realizmu nieudolnego. Dodatkowym celem badania była ocena przydatności narzędzia, zwanego transfografem, w edukacji rysunkowej osób niewidomych. Rysunki wykonane przez niewidomych przed treningiem i po treningu z transfografem okazały się porównywalnie trudne do identyfikacji, jednak w sytuacji udzielenia sędziom wskazówki co do treści szkiców wyżej oceniano rozpoznawalność rysunków wykonanych po treningu. Ponadto w rysunkach wykonanych po treningu zmniejszyła się obecność cech typowych dla stadium realizmu nieudolnego.Słowa kluczowe: osoby niewidome od urodzenia; rozwój rysunkowy; wyobraźnia; grafika dotykowa; transfograf.Adres do korespondencji: MAGDALENA SZUBIELSKA -Instytut Psychologii, Katolicki Uniwersytet Lubelski Jana Pawła II,
Abstrakt. Wiadomo, że możliwość wizualizacji wyobrażeń, związana z posiadaniem wspomnień wzrokowych, pomaga osobom niewidzącym w wykonywaniu wielu zadań, w które zaangażowana jest wyobraźnia przestrzenna. W dwóch eksperymentach z udziałem uczniów niewidzących sprawdzano, jakie znaczenie ma możliwość wizualizacji wyobrażeń dla zdolności wykonywania operacji zmiany wielkości obiektów w wyobraźni. Zgodnie z hipotezami niewidomi od urodzenia (H1) popełniają większy błąd powiększając w wyobraźni obiekty (eksperyment 1: majoryzacja wyobrażeniowa) oraz (H2) w mniejszym stopniu pomniejszają oddalający się w wyobraźni przedmiot (eksperyment 2: minoryzacja wyobrażeniowa), niż uczniowie niewidzący posiadający wspomnienia wzrokowe. Hipoteza pierwsza została częściowo potwierdzona. Uczniowie niewidomi od urodzenia wykazywali tendencję do większego przeszacowywania wysokości powiększonych w wyobraźni, dotykanych uprzednio przedmiotów, niż uczniowie niewidzący posiadający wspomnienia wzrokowe. Hipoteza druga nie uzyskała poparcia empirycznego -obydwie badane grupy w porównywal-nym stopniu pomniejszały w wyobraźni oddalający się od nich przedmiot.Słowa kluczowe: majoryzacja wyobrażeniowa, minoryzacja wyobrażeniowa, niewidzący uczniowie, wizualizacja, wyobraźnia przestrzenna.* Badania prezentowane w artykule finansowane były przez Ministerstwo Nauki i Szkolnictwa Wyższego w ramach grantu nr N N106 279339, dotyczącego funkcjonowania w zakresie percepcji dotykowej, wyobraźni przestrzennej i interpretacji grafiki dotykowej przez uczniów z poważną dysfunkcją wzroku. Dziękujemy Pani Aldonie Kalkus za pomoc w organizacji i przeprowadzeniu badań.
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