Directionality in Four Bender-Gestalt Figures: II

Abstract

The direction of execution of 4 Bender-Gestalt figures (1, 2, 3, 6) was investigated in 168 locally educated Israeli boys and 143 girls attending Grades 3, 5, and 7. There were 279 right-handers and 32 left-handers with basic right-left reading-writing habits. Dichotomization for at least 3 as against no more than 2 left-right executions showed a stronger tendency in right-handers ( p < .01) for left-right execution. Combination of these data and earlier data from Kindergarten, first, and ninth-grade students (Weiss, 1969) showed a marked increase of left-right executions from 48% in Kindergarten to 92% in Grade 9. A plateau of 80%, 78%, and 81% respectively was observed in Grades 3 through 7. This may reflect the clash between the basic left-right drawing tendency emerging with increasing maturation and the right-left reading-writing habits becoming more firmly established between ages 9 and 13. Studying children with left-right reading-writing habits might confirm or disprove this interpretation of the plateau.