Sixty-one children were asked to construct a man, using six different methods. Data indicate that ability to identify body parts, eye-hand coordination, or use of particular materials made no significant differences in success, which seemed more related to the understanding that shapes may have symbolic meaning. (Author/SJL)

Examines the case of Nadia, an autistic child with unusual graphic ability. Considers the development of her skill in relation to hypotheses about drawing, intelligence, and conceptual thought. Illustrations are included. Commentaries on this article by Charles Cleland and Martin Rayala appear on pages 68-72 of this issue. (SJL)

This paper re-evaluates traditional approaches to the study of children's drawings in the light of current process-oriented research. A tentative synthesis of accounts of developmental stages in drawing is followed by an appraisal of drawings analysis in applied psychology. Main features of the new approach are outlined. (Author)

Four experiments involving 367 college students and 259 sixth graders demonstrate that children and adults, when asked to represent vision schematically, have a bias to draw arrows pointing away from the eye and toward a visual efferent. The role of this type of representation in learning is discussed. (SLD)

Presents three drawing/writing activities for primary grades: telling picture stories, attaching words to picture stories, and (for older primary students), interpreting writing through art. (SM)

Self-images expressed in response to the Draw-A-Story task were examined for differences in gender, age and delinquency. Subjects included 64 adolescents in detention and 74 normal controls. No significant differences were found in gender and delinquency. Significant gender differences were found in both solitary and assaultive content. Discusses…

Describes an art project that was inspired by Greek pottery, specifically dishes shaped as fish. Explains that fourth-grade students drew a fish shape that was later used to create their clay version of the fish. Discusses how the students examined the pottery to make decisions about color and design. (CMK)

Provides examples from a study of six test segments of the television series "Alam Simsim," the Egyptian "Sesame Street," to illustrate how a systematic analysis of children's artwork can be used with other research tools to gain feedback from children. Shows how formative research is used to bring children into the production…

There is little research on the psychological impact of bone marrow transplantation (BMT) on family members. This study uses the Human Figure Drawing (HFD) to measure siblings' emotional distress toward BMT. Among the siblings, feelings of isolation, anger, depression, anxiety, and low self-esteem emerged as major themes. Findings indicate the…

Describes an art project for beginning drawing students that focuses on abstraction and the work of abstract artists. Explains that the students draw a still-life portrait of a model, but are asked to exaggerate the foreshadowing in their pictures. (CMK)

The role of psychologist and educator Leta Hollingworth (1886-1939) in studying the development of artistic talent in gifted individuals is examined in context of her research and current research related to general intellectual and special abilities and the appropriate education of students talented in the visual arts. (DB)

Responds to previous article (Motta, Little, and Tobin, this issue) which reviewed data-based studies on figure drawings and found little support for their validity or use in assessing personality, behavior, emotion, or intellectual functioning. Contends that article is unacceptable for publication in present form, with main criticism being that…

Examined the words used by 20 mothers and 20 nonmothers to describe the writing and drawing products of preschool children. Found that mothers were more likely than nonmothers to identify the products using the same label as the child, but found no difference between the groups in the use of the terms "writing" and "drawing"…

Investigated effect of alexithymia upon person's art production. Administered Toronto Alexithymia Scale and 100-mm analog scales for depression and anxiety to 100 psychiatric patients. Each subject drew and identified his/her illness. All subjects, even those quantified as alexithymic, were able to graphically communicate their illness using these…

Muses on the lessons learned by a writer and writing teacher from taking a drawing class. Discusses gesture drawing and writing, the courage to make marks, the art of sharing, and the creator and the work. (SR)