title: Development of children's mental representations: effects of age, sex, and school experience.
abstract: In the present study mental representations in drawings by 158 young children, ages 2 1/2 to 6 yr. old were analysed. The aim was to investigate whether the accuracy of mental representations increased with age and how this development progressed. Also tested were whether the inferred mental representations differed for boys and girls and whether preschool experience affected the drawings. As expected, mental representation increased in complexity with age as measured by Goodenough's score, and girls' mental representations (drawings) were significantly more elaborate than boys. Moreover, attending school early seemed to affect mental representations of the 3-yr.-olds but not the 4-yr.-olds. Results are discussed in terms of internal and external factors in mental representation in drawing a man.
authors.affiliation: Centre de Recherche en Activités Physiques et Sportives (EA 2131), UFR STAPS, Université de Caen Basse Normandie, France.
authors.forename: Ludovic
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Coulbeau
authors.forename: Pierre
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Royer
authors.forename: Majid
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Brouziyne
authors.forename: Fabrice
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Dosseville
authors.forename: Corinne
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Molinaro
mesh_terms: D017677:Age Distribution; D000367:Age Factors; D002648:Child; D002652:Child Behavior / Q000502:physiology* / Q000523:psychology; D002657:Child Development / Q000502:physiology*; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004522:Educational Status; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007092:Imagination / Q000502:physiology*; D008297:Male; D008960:Models, Psychological; D011597:Psychomotor Performance / Q000502:physiology*; D012737:Sex Factors; D013647:Task Performance and Analysis