Hierarchical forms processing in adults and children

Two experiments examined child and adult processing of hierarchical stimuli composed of geometric forms. Adults (ages 18–23 years) and children (ages 7–10 years) performed a forced-choice task gauging similarity between visual stimuli consisting of large geometric objects (global level) composed of...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of experimental child psychology 2009-06, Vol.103 (2), p.222-240
Main Authors: Harrison, Tamara B., Stiles, Joan
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adolescent
Adult
Adults
Age Factors
Age-related change
Bias
Biological and medical sciences
Child
Child development
Children
Children & youth
Choice Behavior
Classification
Cognition & reasoning
Cognitive Processes
Development
Developmental psychology
Discrimination Learning
Experiments
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
Geometric Concepts
Hierarchical forms
Humans
Information processing
Local and global processing
Neuropsychological Tests
Pattern Recognition, Visual
Photic Stimulation - methods
Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry
Psychology. Psychophysiology
Psychomotor Performance
Reaction Time
Space Perception
Spatial Ability
Visual Stimuli
Visuospatial processing
Young Adult
Young Children
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Summary:Two experiments examined child and adult processing of hierarchical stimuli composed of geometric forms. Adults (ages 18–23 years) and children (ages 7–10 years) performed a forced-choice task gauging similarity between visual stimuli consisting of large geometric objects (global level) composed of small geometric objects (local level). The stimuli spatial arrangement was manipulated to assess child and adult reaction times and predisposition toward local or global form categorization under two distinct trial conditions, with varied density of the local forms comprising the global forms. In Experiment 1, children and adults were presented with common, simple geometric shape hierarchical forms composed of ovals and rectangles. In Experiment 2, adults were presented with hierarchical forms composed of the simple geometric shapes, ovals and rectangles, and additional novel complex geometric shapes, “posts” and “arches.” Results show a clear increase of global processing bias across the age ranges of the individuals in the study, with children at 10 years performing similarly to adults on the simple stimuli. In addition, adults presented with the novel complex geometric shapes showed a significant reduction in global processing bias, indicating that form novelty and complexity lead to additional attention to local features in categorization tasks.
ISSN:0022-0965
1096-0457
DOI:10.1016/j.jecp.2008.09.004