THE DEVELOPMENT OF UNDERSTANDING MOODS METAPHORICALLY EXPRESSED IN PICTURES - A CROSS-CULTURAL-COMPARISON

Chinese participants, ranging in age from 4 years old to adult, were t ested on their ability to select drawings to appropriately complete a positively or negatively charged drawing. Justifications for their sel ections were obtained, as well as their identification of the mood the y perceived in the drawings. Comparing these responses with those of B ritish participants on the same tasks (Jolley & Thomas, 1995) revealed that recognition of mood in pictures may be shown at an early age in both cultures. Performance on the completion tasks and reported justif ications indicated, however, that Chinese children attend to mood meta phors in pictures at an earlier age than do Western children and have a less dismissive attitude toward scenes expressing sadness. Thus, com prehension of metaphoric expression may not develop at the same age ac ross cultures. The greater emphasis on teaching technique within the C hinese art programme may facilitate the reading of pictorial metaphors .