Perceptual Development

Perceptual Development

Introduction

Conceptions of perceptual development have been informed by a variety of fields, such as psychology, anthropology, sociology, cultural studies, and the interdisciplinary field of cognitive science. A large body of research has addressed the arts in relation to cognitive developmental stages, revealing both developmental and cognitive features of the artistic process and contributing to a significant understanding of individual artistic growth, the cognitive processes involved in the production and perception of art, and the types of artistic activities, styles, and practices involved in the making of art. Multiple interpretations and meanings about the nature of perceptual development and cognition have developed as a result of revisiting the social, historical and cultural contexts of conceptions of child development and artistry. The information in this entry is a chronicle of some of the significant theories and theorists who have contributed, either directly or indirectly, to theories of perceptual development and cognition. Although some of these theories do not explicitly address identity, they nonetheless help to situate contemporary discussions about identity in relation to development and cognition as well as align the more conventional discourse of stage theories of perceptual Development with the concept of identity (Efland, 2002).

Visual Art and Perception Development

Psychologist, philosopher, and critic Rudolph Arnheim explored the cognitive basis of art. With a background in Gestalt psychology, which emphasizes the perception of patterns, images, and forms as organized wholes, Arnheim sought to apply the principles of Gestalt psychology to the study of art. He examined, for example, the structures of an artwork—such as form, line, or color—and the emotional reaction that results. He wrote about multiple media such as painting, photography, film, architecture, and television. His theory about perception and art can be found in two of his well-known books, Art and Visual Perception and Visual Thinking, which explore the relationship between vision and cognition and the question of whether or not perception and thought differ. Arnheim concluded that there was no difference: Perception, or the taking in of sensory information, was synonymous with thought. Thus, Arnheim critiqued the often-employed dichotomy between perception and reason as false. Employing the senses (seeing, hearing, and touching, but also, according to Arnheim, knowledge) was the way in which people imposed order on the world. Henry Schaeffer-Simmern's The Unfolding of Artistic Activity is another text that based accounts of cognition on Gestalt psychology, linking changes in children's perceptual Development to changes in perceptual development or learning (Atkinson, 2002).

Developmental Views of Cognition

The research and theories of Jean Piaget, Jerome Bruner, Howard Gardner, and David Perkins promote a view of cognition as the construction of meaning making, in which individuals build conceptual understanding from experiences over time. Such theories emphasize a developmental view of cognition that is constructed by an individual in relation to prior experiences and his or her environment. These views also emphasize a pluralistic view of intelligence, involving many different cognitive processes. Both Gardner and Perkins have argued that intelligence is multidimensional. Perkins, for example, has argued for three dimensions of intelligence: neural, ...