Drawing Across Media: A Cross-Sectional Experiment on Preschoolers' Drawings Produced Using Traditional Versus Electronic Mediums

Young children's growing access to touchscreen technology represents one of many contextual factors that may influence development. The focus of the current study was the impact of traditional versus electronic drawing materials on the quality of children's drawings during the preschool ye...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Developmental psychology 2020-01, Vol.56 (1), p.28-39
Main Authors: Kirkorian, Heather L., Travers, Brittany G., Jiang, Matthew J., Choi, Koeun, Rosengren, Karl S., Pavalko, Porter, Tolkin, Emma
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adult
Adults
Age Differences
Age Factors
Child Development
Child, Preschool
Computer Graphics
Computer Usage
Computers, Handheld
Correlation
Cross-Sectional Studies
Early Childhood Development
Education
Educational Measures
Female
Freehand Drawing
Gender Differences
Human
Humans
Individual Characteristics
Information Technology
Male
Mass Media
Media Exposure
Microcomputers
Motor Skills - physiology
Novelty (Stimulus Dimension)
Preschool Children
Psychomotor Skills
Sex Factors
Tablet Computers
Visual Perception
Young Adult
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Summary:Young children's growing access to touchscreen technology represents one of many contextual factors that may influence development. The focus of the current study was the impact of traditional versus electronic drawing materials on the quality of children's drawings during the preschool years. Young children (2-5 years, N = 73) and a comparison group of adults (N = 24) copied shapes using three mediums: marker on paper, stylus on touchscreen tablet, finger on touchscreen tablet. Drawings were later deemed codable or uncodable (e.g., scribbles), and codable drawings were then scored for subjective quality on a 4-point scale. Girls and older children (vs. boys and younger children) produced more codable drawings; however, this gap closed when children drew with their finger on a tablet. Medium also affected the quality of adults' drawings, favoring marker on paper. Thus, drawing on a tablet helped younger children produce drawings but resulted in lower quality drawings among adults. These findings underscore the importance of considering environmental constraints on drawing production. Moreover, since clinical assessments often include measures of drawing quality, and sometimes use tablet computers for drawing, these findings have practical implications for education and clinical practice.
ISSN:0012-1649
1939-0599
DOI:10.1037/dev0000825