The effect of affective characterizations on the size of children's drawings

Abstract

Previous research has yielded conflicting findings about the existence and the direction of the size changes which occur in children's drawings when they are asked to draw topics which have been given an affective characterisation. The present study was designed to investigate whether children scale up the size of drawings of topics which have been given a positive characterisation, and scale down the size of drawings of topics which have been given a negative characterisation. Two hundred and fifty-eight children aged between 4 and 11 years completed three drawings of either a man, a dog or a tree. Each child drew a baseline drawing of a neutrally characterised figure, and two further drawings of a positively and a negatively characterised version of the same figure. It was found that the children drew the positively characterised topics larger than the neutrally characterised topics, and reduced the size of the negatively characterised topics relative to the baseline drawings. These patterns occurred at all ages and with all three drawing topics. Two possible explanations of the findings are discussed: the operation of an appetitive-defensive mechanism in children, and the acquisition of pictorial conventions.

The effect of affective characterizations on the use of size and colour in drawings produced by children in the absence of a model

“…In line with previous findings (Burkitt et al, 2003), the children used different colours for the completion of differentially affectively characterised topics. The task instructions 26 were sufficient to restrict children to the choice of one colour for each drawing.…”

“…Such selection implies a role for realism in children's colour choice. However, as in the earlier study (Burkitt et al, 2003), with children's spontaneous drawings, black emerged as the colour that was most closely associated with the nasty figures, along with brown and white, and the oldest children's use of pink.…”

“…Barrett, Beaumont & Jennett, 1985;Barrett & Bridson, 1983;Barrett & Eames, 1996;Barrett & Light, 1976;Bremner & Moore, 1984;Cox, 1981Cox, , 1985Cox, , 1992Cox, , 1993Crook, 1984Crook, , 1985Davis, 1983Davis, , 1985aDavis, , 1985bFreeman, 1976Freeman, , 1977Freeman, , 1980Freeman, , 1987Gardner, 1980Gardner, , 1982Goodnow, 1977Goodnow, , 1978Kellogg, 1969;Light & McEwan, 1987;Sitton & Light, 1992;Winner, 1982). However, some researchers have also explored whether the contents of children's drawings can be used as a reliable index of children's feelings concerning the objects which are depicted in their drawings (Burkitt, Barrett & Davis , 2003; in press); Forrest & Thomas, 1991;Hammer, 1997;Joiner, Schmidt & Barnett, 1996;Jolley, 1995;Koppitz, 1968Koppitz, , 1969Thomas, Chaigne & Fox, 1989;Thomas & Jolley, 1998). Situated within the latter tradition, the present experiment was designed to assess whether the size of the objects which are depicted in children's drawings, and the colours which are chosen for drawing those objects, are influenced by the affective characterisations which have been given to those objects.…”

“…In the light of these limitations of the existing literature, Burkitt et al (2003) conducted a more rigorous experimental study into children's use of colour in their drawings.…”

“…On the basis of the findings by Burkitt et al (2003), it was anticipated that the children would use their more preferred colours for the nice figures, their least preferred colours for the nasty figures, and colours which they rated intermediately for the neutral figures. It was also anticipated that black would be predominantly used for drawing negatively characterised figures.…”