Abstract
Background:Extensive research examined the development of both language and drawing, but the relationship between these symbolic representation systems is less investigated and controversial. Working memory and executive functions seem to be involved in the acquisition of both drawing and language, but how they are involved in the relation between language and drawing is still unclear.Objective:This article reviews the relevant literature and, as a synthesis, outlines a set of models that future research could use to specify the developmental relations between language, drawing, working memory, and executive functions.Drawing and Language:Four theoretical positions are discussed: (a) drawing and language emerge from the same general-domain symbolic resource; (b) drawing and language as two independent systems; (c) drawing as a form of language (d) drawing influenced by language.Executive Functions and Working Memory:The literature on the role of executive functions and working memory in the development of either drawing or language is rather fragmentary, but on the whole, it indicates that these domain-general cognitive resources and abilities are involved in supporting the development of these representation systems. An ongoing controversy on the structure of executive functions in early childhood adds further complexity to the debate on their role.Conclusions:A set of models is outlined that systematically embodies the different theoretical views regarding (a) executive function development and (b) the relations of drawing development with language, executive function, and working memory. Future research can benefit from explicit models of the causal relations between these aspects of cognitive development.
Highlights
What relation is there between the early development of drawing and language? How does the overall development of the cognitive system affect language and drawing development?Many studies investigated the development of different representational systems, such as drawing and language, but the relations between them have received less attention
Already in the first years of life, children are in contact with symbolic representations, and language and drawing are among the first representational systems that develop
Nation, and Patterson [50] suggest three possible models that might account for the relationship between Executive Functions (EF) and language impairments: (a) executive functions causally influence language development; (b) language ability causally influence EF development, possibly because children resort to verbal mediation while performing certain tasks that involve EF; (c) there are no direct causal dependencies at the cognitive level between language and EF skills, but shared genetic risk factors could account for the correlation between these skills in young children; for instance, delayed frontal lobes development might impinge on brain areas important for EF, and on adjacent areas involved in language processing
Summary
Extensive research examined the development of both language and drawing, but the relationship between these symbolic representation systems is less investigated and controversial. Working memory and executive functions seem to be involved in the acquisition of both drawing and language, but how they are involved in the relation between language and drawing is still unclear
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