HEMISPATIAL BIASES IN CHILDREN ON THE DRAW-A-PERSON TEST

To investigate the development of hemispatial biases, lateralized placement of the human figure on the Draw-A-Person Test was compared for right- and left-handed children of different ages. For right-handed children, as in adults, biases were observed toward the left side of space, contralateral to the specialized hemisphere. Left-handed children were unbiased, consistent with findings that left-handers are less lateralized than right-handers. There were no significant changes in figure placement with increasing age, suggesting that hemispatial biases are present from the earliest age tested.