The development of drawing composition within young children: Causal relationships between noncanonical compositions and cognitive factors

Abstract

is study examines the development of drawing composition within young children, with particular focus on the compositions of noncanonical drawings in terms of spatial cognition and inhibition of canonicality as drawing-related cognitive factors. Examining the relationship between drawing and cognition, Experiment 1 presented four- to six-year-old participants with three tasks; a drawing task, a spatial cognitive task, and an inhibition task. e results indicated that spatial cognition and inhibition scores for a noncanonical drawing group were higher than those of a canonical drawing group. To explore the causal relationship between cognition and drawing, Experiment 2 provided cognitive training to the participants of the canonical drawing group in Experiment 1. e results indicated that children showing improved spatial cognition and inhibition scores were able to compose noncanonical drawings. ese ndings suggest that both spatial cognition and inhibition contribute to the development of drawing composition within young children.