Authors
Gwendolyn Louise Rehrig
Publication date
2015
Institution
Rutgers The State University of New Jersey-New Brunswick
Description
Human figure drawing tasks like the Draw-A-Person (DAP) task have long been used to assess intelligence (Goodenough, 1926). To what extent are these tasks valid as measures of cognitive ability? What other skills, if any, do DAP intelligence tests measure? This study investigates the skills tapped by drawing and investigates risk factors associated with poor drawing. Self-portraits of 345 preschool children were scored using the DAP: IQ rubric (Reynolds & Hickman, 2004) and were scored for overall aesthetic quality by artists. Analyses of children’s fine motor, gross motor, social, cognitive, and language skills revealed fine motor and cognitive skills predicted aesthetic scores, but only fine motor skills predicted DAP: IQ scores. Being male and born with low birth weight were risk factors for poor drawing skills. These findings suggest that the DAP: IQ could be used as an easy way to screen for fine motor …
Total citations
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