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<\/a><\/p>\nHowever, the researchers insisted parents of children who lack artistic skills should not panic as drawing ability does not determine intelligence, which is affected by a huge range of factors.<\/p>\n
With the help of parents, psychologists got 15,504 children aged four to take part in a “draw-a-child” test, rating each picture with a score of zero to 12.<\/p>\n
Artworks were judged on the presence and correct quantity of features such as the head, eyes, nose, mouth, ears, hair, body and arms.<\/p>\n
The study, published in Psychological Science, recorded a “moderate” association between higher scores and intelligence test results both at the age of four and 14.<\/p>\n
Dr Rosalind Arden, lead author of the paper from the MRC Social, Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry Centre at the Institute of Psychiatry at King\u2019s College London, said: \u201cThe Draw-a-Child test was devised in the 1920\u2019s to assess children\u2019s intelligence, so the fact that the test correlated with intelligence at age four was expected. What surprised us was that it correlated with intelligence a decade later.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe correlation is moderate, so our findings are interesting, but it does not mean that parents should worry if their child draws badly.<\/p>\n
\u201cDrawing ability does not determine intelligence, there are countless factors, both genetic and environmental, which affect intelligence in later life.\u201d<\/p>\n
The researchers found the link was influenced by genes, after comparing the results of identical twins, whose genetic code is identical, and non-identical twins who share half their DNA.<\/p>\n
Identical twins aged four produced drawings and test scores more similar to one another than non-identical twins.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe finding that greater accuracy in children\u2019s figure drawing is associated genetically with higher intelligence a decade later is thought provoking and demonstrates that the study of art and the study of science have much to offer each other,\u201d the authors wrote.<\/p>\n
\u201cEvolutionary selection on drawing ability may have been an important precursor to writing, which transformed humans\u2019 capacity to store information externally, and promoted the capacity to build a civilization.\u201d<\/p>\n
But the team do not believe their findings point to the existence of a \u201cdrawing gene\u201d.<\/p>\n
Dr Arden added: \u201cA child\u2019s ability to draw stems from many other abilities, such as observing, holding a pencil etc. We are a long way off understanding how genes influence all these different types of behaviour.\u201d<\/p>\n
When scoring the children\u2019s pictures, a point was awarded for each correctly presented physical feature, so drawing of a figure with two legs rather than four would receive one point for legs. Any clothing also scored a point.<\/p>\n
The rating system ignored features such as overall size, proportion, “charm” and “expressed emotion”.<\/p>\n
Drawings varied greatly between the children, ranging from disorganised scribbles that scored zero, to pictures depicting recognisable faces, bodies and limbs worth 10 points.<\/p>\n
Dr Arden said: \u201cDrawing is an ancient behaviour, dating back beyond 15,000 years ago. Through drawing, we are attempting to show someone else what\u2019s in our mind.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis capacity to reproduce figures is a uniquely human ability and a sign of cognitive ability, in a similar way to writing, which transformed the human species\u2019 ability to store information, and build a civilisation.\u201d<\/p>\n
In their paper, the scientists said it was not known whether children who did well in the drawing test were likely to develop a sustained interest in art.<\/p>\n
They wrote: “This study does not explain artistic talent; the scores only quantify accuracy of attributes, such as the number of limbs, in the drawing. But our results do show that whatever conflicting theories adults have about the value of verisimilitude in early figure drawing, children who express it to a greater extent are somewhat brighter than those who do not.”<\/p>\n
Article from The Telegraph<\/span><\/span><\/address>\n