Structural Models and Embedded-Figure Difficulty for Normal and Retarded Children

Abstract

60 normal and 20 mentally retarded children were tested on an embedded-figures task to determine what stimulus variables correlate with the difficulty of finding a figure hidden in a larger pattern. The number of shared contours, the complexity of the ground, and analysis complexity (defined as the amount by which the total complexity of the parts exceeds the complexity of the whole pattern) resulted in significant, positive correlations with the difficulty of finding an embedded figure. The complexity of the figure, the complexity of the complete pattern, and the number of overlapping lines resulted in nonsignificant, positive correlations with the difficulty in finding the figure. The task was discussed within the theoretical framework of the structural model advocated by Narasimhan and Sutherland. The results suggested how a pattern might be analyzed into a hiearchy of articulations with each articulation consisting of a hierarchy of component parts.