Size and emotion or depth and emotion? Evidence, using Matryoshka (Russian) dolls, of children using physical depth as a proxy for emotional charge

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Dunn, A.K. ORCID: 0000-0003-3226-1734, Taylor, N. and Baguley, T. ORCID: 0000-0002-0477-2492, 2013. Size and emotion or depth and emotion? Evidence, using Matryoshka (Russian) dolls, of children using physical depth as a proxy for emotional charge. BMC Psychology, 1. ISSN 2050-7283

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Official URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/2050-7283-1-21

Abstract

Background: The size and emotion effect is the tendency for children to draw people and other objects with a positive emotional charge larger than those with a negative or neutral charge. Here we explored the novel idea that drawing size might be acting as a proxy for depth (proximity).Methods: Forty-two children (aged 3-11 years) chose, from 2 sets of Matryoshka (Russian) dolls, a doll to represent a person with positive, negative or neutral charge, which they placed in front of themselves on a sheet of A3 paper. Results: We found that the children used proximity and doll size, to indicate emotional charge. Conclusions: These findings are consistent with the notion that in drawings, children are using size as a proxy for physical closeness (proximity), as they attempt with varying success to put positive charged items closer to, or negative and neutral charge items further away from, themselves.

Item Type:

Journal article

Publication Title:

BMC Psychology

Creators:

Dunn, A.K., Taylor, N. and Baguley, T.

Publisher:

Springer

Date:

2013

Volume:

ISSN: