Art Therapy Students Find Developmental Differences Between Girls and Boys

Nine Antioch Seattle art therapy students presented their research poster titled "Re-examining Lowenfeld: Are We Building on Solid Ground" at the 37th annual conference of the American Art Therapy Association (AATA). Students Adrianne DaSilva, Richard Evans, Amanda Everly, Melissa Hyman, Jessie Lyle, Clayton Marsh, Steven Merlino, Jennifer Patterson and Kristin Warner were presenters, along with Janice Hoshino, Ph.D., ATR-BC, who chairs the Antioch Art Therapy program.

"The opportunity to work collaboratively with fellow students and be part of a research team was an essential aspect of my educational experience," says student Steven Merlino. "Presenting our work at the AATA conference and feeling connected to a wider art therapy community was a highlight and real accomplishment."

The theme of the conference in New Orleans in November 2006 was "Reaching Out and Rebuilding Our Communities." More than 800 art therapy professionals and students attended the five-day confab.

For their study and presentation, Antioch Art Therapy students examined present-day validity of Lowenfeld's theory of developmental stages in children's art. Drawings of a person, a tree and a free drawing were collected from 139 children ages 4-13 years from diverse settings. The student researchers hypothesized the results would show a shift in children's developmental stages since Lowenfeld's seminal study in the 1940s.

The results showed more consistency across stages than anticipated. However, color fit and the number of colors used were most noticeable across gender lines, while other elements were not significant.

The results also indicated a significant difference between the development of girls and boys, a clear call for further research in this area.

The clearest trend in the statistical findings was an overall consistency in the elements of the drawings studied. This trend indicated a lack of significant developmental changes in the drawings of the children. Lowenfeld had identified development as a nonlinear process. It is possible the findings of this study reflect the nonlinear quality of development. It is also possible developmental changes would be more evident in children younger than 4 or older than 13. However, Lowenfeld's original study was qualitative while this study was quantitative.

While in New Orleans for the conference, several members of Antioch's Art Therapy contingent volunteered to spend a day with Habitat for Humanity to assist those affected by Hurricane Katrina. Click to read first-hand accounts of their experiences.

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