The stability of artistic aptitude at the childhood level.

Abstract

Aulus Ward Saunders /. Introduction. In the realm of special ability there is a widespread belief that artistic ability is inborn and remains more or less fixed throughout life. Among many art teachers, on the other hand, the belief is likewise widely held that anyone can learn at least the skills utilized in drawing and painting. The objective of this study was to test the possibility of art ability 2 at the childhood level being changed, with an attempt to identify the factors that might be involved if such a change were brought about. In other terms, the problem was as stated by Kinter ( 27), " Is artistic aptitude relatively fixed and stable, or can it be altered by intensive training ? "In general the prevailing attitude in the field of art psychology has been that an individual is born with a definite capacity for artistic appreciation and production and that this capacity is bounded by limits, some point within which he will succeed in attaining, depending on the nature of his environment and his endeavor. This investigation has been directed toward the nature of these capacity-limits, in an attempt to discover whether it is possible to produce a definite extension of the usual limits. This plan was specifically attempted, first, through the use of a number 1 An investigation in the research program, Genetic Studies in Artistic Capacity, under the direction of Dr. Norman C. Meier and made possible by financial aid from the Carnegie Corporation of New York through the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching.2 Such terms as ability, capacity, aptitude, and the like are used herein as defined in English's "A Student's Dictionary of Psychological Terms" (17). Ability, for instance, is there defined as " actual power, whether inherited or acquired, to perform any act. Capacity, while nearly synonymous, usually means undeveloped power, and is largely innate; under training it becomes ability." For definition of such art terms as balance, rhythm, harmony, etc., see "Report of the Committee on Terminology"(61).

The measurement of quality in children's painting by the scale method.

“…Data on the actual results of the applications of the scales are included in reports of the studies in which various units of the original group of subjects were used. For their investigations Saunders (9) and Tiebout and Meier (11) included the entire group of 100 subjects in each grade, the former using Grades I-IV inclusive and the latter the complete grade range from I-VII inclusive. In the Meier and Stinson study (8) certain selected subjects from Grades III, V, and VII were used.…”

“…While tests of artistic appreciation have been devised satisfying the scientific requirement involving control of all variables under consideration, less objectivity has seemed possible in the measurement of artistic ability or the ability to produce. An approach to problems involving the artistic ability of children, however, made it incumbent upon certain of the investigators (8,9,11), whose studies are reported in this monograph, to develop, in so far as possible, a reasonably reliable means for determining status in artistic production. For this purpose the scale of values method was chosen as offering the most objective and most practical treatment available.…”

The role of language handicap in the development of artistic interest.

“…She concludes that "This implies a vastly higher attention and perseverative capacity for the artistically talented child." Saunders [12] demonstrated that children who were artistically disinterested and who exhibited a lack of artistic ability could be trained to levels of accomplishment on a par with other children who were considered to be talented. He noted:…”

Artistic ability and general intelligence.

“…All of the Grade VII subjects were students in the Woodrow Wilson Junior High School, which serves the same area as the Phillips School. Complete information on the selection of these subjects is given in the preceding article (39) which is introductory to this and the studies of Saunders (33) and Meier and Stinson (28) in which these same subjects were used.…”