Etude des relations entre l'ordre dénonciation des objets et l'organisation temporelle de dessins d'actions simples, réversibles et non réversibles : les effets d'un délai de 24 heures

Abstract

Summary. — The relationship between the order of enunciation of objects and the temporal organization of drawings of simple reversible or non-reversible actions : the effects of a 24-hour interval. This study concerns the effects of a 24-hour interval on the already established relationship, between the order of enunciation of objects (agent and patient) involved in a simple action, and the temporal organization of the act of drawing this action. The hypothesis concerning these effects depends on psycholinguistic data relating to sentence memorization. According to these data (Flores d'Arcais, 1974), retention of syntax decreases with time whereas retention of semantic content is much more stable. In a delayed-recall situation, the subject reactivates this semantic content using a syntax that is more familiar than that of the original utterance ; notably, active forms replace passives. Applied to the act of drawing, these findings suggest that when an action presented in passive form is drawn 24 hours later, drawings executed in the order patient-agent will be less frequent than when the action is drawn immediately ; they will tend to be replaced by drawings executed in the order agent-patient which is favorized by the active syntactic form. This effect should be more noticeable with empirically reversible actions (the girl pushes the boy) than with non-reversible ones (the horse jumps the fence). On the other hand, such changes in temporal organisation should not be observed when the utterance is in the active form. Eight actions, four empirically reversible and four non-reversible, presented in active and passive form, were drawn by 128 subjects with average ages of 8;6 and 10;6, in situations of immediate drawing and delayed drawing with a 24-hour interval. Each action was draivn once by each subject. Comprehension of the passive form was checked. Results confirm both the hypotheses suggested above and the previously-observed relationship. Age is not a statiscally significant factor. Key words : figurative thinking, temporal organization of drawings, drawing and language.