New indices to characterize drawing behavior in humans (Homo sapiens) and chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes)

Techniques used in cave art suggest that drawing skills emerged long before the oldest known representative human productions (44, 000 years BC). This study seeks to improve our knowledge of the evolutionary origins and the ontogenetic development of drawing behavior by studying drawings of humans (N = 178, 3- to 10-year-old children and adults) and chimpanzees (N = 5). Drawings were characterized with an innovative index based on spatial measures which provides the degree of efficiency for the lines that are drawn. Results showed that this index was lowest in chimpanzees, increased and reached its maximum between 5-year-old and 10-year-old children and decreased in adults, whose drawing efficiency was reduced by the addition of details. Drawings of chimpanzees are not random suggesting that their movements are constrained by cognitive or locomotor aspect and we cannot conclude to the absence of representativeness. We also used indices based on colors and time and asked children about what they drew. These indices can be considered relevant tools to improve our understanding of drawing development and evolution in hominids

Dessine-moi un mouton : de nouvelles méthodes pour caractériser les dessins chez l’être humain (Homo sapiens) et le chimpanzé (Pan troglodytes)

In humans, drawing emerges in the form of scribbles and then evolves into concrete representations ; this behavior has also been described in captive great apes. The analysis methods used may lack objectivity or be limiting when faced with the abstract productions of subjects unable to express themselves. This thesis aimed to develop innovative tools for the analysis of drawing. 421 drawings of children and adults as well as 44 drawings of chimpanzees, all on touch screens with finger were collected. The application of spatial and temporal fractal analyses shows differences between chimpanzees and humans and between groups of humans. Spatially, younger children and adults have a less efficient drawing layout than older children but superior to chimpanzees. Temporally, 3-year-olds draw more predictably and stereotypically than adults. Complemented by behavioral observations, bibliographic and conceptual work, this project shows the relevance of pursuing the development of new methodologies and the perspectives for comparative research that may result from it.Chez l’être humain, dessiner émerge sous forme de gribouillages puis évolue vers des représentations concrètes ; ce comportement est aussi décrit chez des grands singes en captivité. Les méthodes d’analyses utilisées peuvent manquer d’objectivité ou être limitantes face aux productions abstraites de sujets incapables de s’exprimer. Cette thèse a eu pour but de développer des outils d’analyse novateurs du dessin. 421 dessins d’enfants et d’adultes ainsi que 44 dessins de chimpanzés, tous sur écran tactile au doigt ont été collectés. L’application d’analyses fractales spatiales et temporelles montre des différences entre chimpanzés et humains et entre groupes d’êtres humains. Spatialement, les plus jeunes et les adultes ont un tracé moins efficient que les enfants plus âgés mais supérieur aux chimpanzés. Temporellement, les enfants de 3 ans dessinent de façon plus prévisible et stéréotypée que les adultes. Complétés d’observations comportementales, de travaux bibliographiques et conceptuels, ce projet montre la pertinence de poursuivre le développement de nouvelles méthodologies et les perspectives pour la recherche comparative pouvant en découler

Sortir du cadre : désanthropiser le concept de dessin en questionnant les primates non humains.

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Drawing in nonhuman primates: What we know and what remains to be investigated.

For over a century now, a number of researchers have explored the evolutionary emergence ofmark-making and drawing behaviors through studies in monkeys and apes, and particularly in chimpanzees. Their observations and results remain relevant to this day and underline the interest of this questionand the questions that remain to be answered. The present review begins by retracing the historicaltimeline of this specific and challenging topic from the earliest anecdotal evidence to the first systematicstudies in the 1930s. We then describe how the research became more empirical through the use ofstimulus figures, the examination of color choices, or even exploring outline-making processes. Wediscuss the use of touch screens in the 1990s, which enriched our knowledge by providing an opportunityfor data collection and innovative analysis. Finally, we underline several key points that are ofimportance for future investigations into the mark-making process in nonhuman primates

Et si nous arrivions à déchiffrer les dessins des très jeunes enfants ? | The Conversation-France

The Conversation FranceEt si nous arrivions à déchiffrer les dessins des très jeunes enfants ? https://theconversation.com/et-si-nous-arrivions-a-dechiffrer-les-dessins-des-tres-jeunes-enfants-15576

Making drawings speak through mathematical metrics

Figurative drawing is a skill that takes time to learn, and evolves during different childhood phases that begin with scribbling and end with representational drawing. Between these phases, it is difficult to assess when and how children demonstrate intentions and representativeness in their drawings. The marks produced are increasingly goal-oriented and efficient as the child's skills progress from scribbles to figurative drawings. Pre-figurative activities provide an opportunity to focus on drawing processes. We applied fourteen metrics to two different datasets (N=65 and N=345) to better understand the intentional and representational processes behind drawing, and combined these metrics using principal component analysis (PCA) in different biologically significant dimensions. Three dimensions were identified: efficiency based on spatial metrics, diversity with colour metrics, and temporal sequentiality. The metrics at play in each dimension are similar for both datasets, and PCA explains 77% of the variance in both datasets. These analyses differentiate scribbles by children from those drawn by adults. The three dimensions highlighted by this study provide a better understanding of the emergence of intentions and representativeness in drawings. We have already discussed the perspectives of such findings in Comparative Psychology and Evolutionary Anthropology

Draw yourself: How culture influences drawings by children between the ages of two and fifteen

The place children live strongly influence how they develop their behavior, this is also true for pictorial expression. This study is based on 958 self-portraits drawn by children aged 2–15 years old from 35 countries across 5 continents. A total of 13 variables were extracted of each drawing allowing us to investigate the differences of individuals and environment representations in these drawings. We used a principal component analysis to understand how drawing characteristics can be combined in pictorial concepts. We analyzed the effect of age, gender, socioeconomic, and cultural factors in terms of complexity and inclusion of social (human figures) and physical (element from Nature and man-made elements) environments, their frequencies, size, and proportions of these elements on each drawing. Our results confirm the existence of cultural variations and the influence of age on self-portrait patterns. We also observed an influence of physical and socio-cultural contexts through the level of urbanization and the degree of individualism of the countries, which have affected the complexity, content and representation of human figures in the drawings studied

Table_1_Draw yourself: How culture influences drawings by children between the ages of two and fifteen.XLSX

The place children live strongly influence how they develop their behavior, this is also true for pictorial expression. This study is based on 958 self-portraits drawn by children aged 2–15 years old from 35 countries across 5 continents. A total of 13 variables were extracted of each drawing allowing us to investigate the differences of individuals and environment representations in these drawings. We used a principal component analysis to understand how drawing characteristics can be combined in pictorial concepts. We analyzed the effect of age, gender, socioeconomic, and cultural factors in terms of complexity and inclusion of social (human figures) and physical (element from Nature and man-made elements) environments, their frequencies, size, and proportions of these elements on each drawing. Our results confirm the existence of cultural variations and the influence of age on self-portrait patterns. We also observed an influence of physical and socio-cultural contexts through the level of urbanization and the degree of individualism of the countries, which have affected the complexity, content and representation of human figures in the drawings studied.</p

New indices to characterize drawing behavior in humans (Homo sapiens) and chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes): An innovative analysis to understand drawing behavior

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Tool assisted task on touchscreen: a case study on drawing behaviour in chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes)

International audienceObservations of drawing behaviour in chimpanzees have often focused on the completed drawings. Here, we compared drawing behaviour using fingers or tools on a touch-sensitive monitor between five chimpanzees from the Kumamoto Sanctuary (KS) and two from the Primate Research Institute (PRI), both located at Kyoto University, Japan. Regarding drawing duration, both PRI females drew relatively longer than the other, with the exception of one KS female. However, a long drawing duration did not correspond with a decrease in the number of pauses, which can be interpreted as a lack of concentration or interest. Therefore, to better understand the engagement of individuals, we recorded the time spent looking at the touchscreen. Pan, one of the two PRI females, had the longest drawing periods and spent the most time looking at the screen. We compared her with Ai, the other PRI female, to better understand their individual marking techniques and behaviours. By adapting to each one’s specific behaviour and previous experience with tool-assisted drawing on paper, we offered the females appropriate tools for making marks on the touchscreen. Our results indicate that electronic devices are not limiting in the expression of drawing behaviour. The females did not have the same drawing technique and also showed different types of engagement as motivation, which could not have been detected by only studying the completed drawings. By focusing more on the process rather than on the drawings themselves, we try to show inter-individual differences in drawing behaviour of chimpanzees and the relevance to adapt to it as experimenters