Na. Akshoomoff et J. Stiles, DEVELOPMENTAL-TRENDS IN VISUOSPATIAL ANALYSIS AND PLANNING .1. COPYING A COMPLEX FIGURE, Neuropsychology, 9(3), 1995, pp. 364-377
An existing scoring system was used to assess the accuracy of the chil
dren's ability to copy the Rey-Osterrieth Complex Figure. The authors
also developed additional measures to more precisely describe the proc
ess used by children in copying this figure. The findings suggest that
children between the ages of 6 and 9 break the figure up into simple
components but improve in their ability to integrate the figure with a
ge. Younger children demonstrated a similar pattern of performance whe
n copying the main features of the Rey-Osterrieth Complex Figure in is
olation. The results of this study suggest that when faced with tasks
requiring more advanced types of spatial analysis, children adopt stra
tegies that proved successful when they were younger. Children have a
variety of spatial analytic strategies available by age 6, but the str
ategy that they use is a function of pattern complexity and the capabi
lities of the child.