Understanding the emergence of drawing behaviour with age: a multi-metric analysis

We need specific and objective methods to analyse the temporal changes of drawing in children, especially those too young to communicate via verbalisations. We asked 134 children, ranging from three to ten years old, and 38 adults to draw on a tablet under two conditions: free drawing and selfportrait. We then used seven metrics from three categories (spatial, temporal, and colorimetric) in a principal component analysis (PCA). Three dimensions of the PCA explained 77% of the variance in the drawings. We named these dimensions as diversity, sequentiality, and efficiency, which provided a mechanism for better understanding the intentionality and representativeness behind drawing. Gender had no effect, but age influenced all three dimensions differently. This multi-metric approach is a powerful tool for investigating the ontogenetic development of drawing, and could be used to understand the evolution of this behaviour by applying it to the study of primates, or to reveal drawing characteristics in people with autism and depression or those from different cultures