A tree drawing made by mentally underdeveloped pupils of pubertal-adolescent age and pupils of the age in the regular secondary school

Abstract

In order to make qualitative analysis of a tree drawing as a possible indicator of intellectual development, a group of pupils in higher classes of the elementary school for mentally retarded children »J. Bonaći« In Split who are diagnosed as so called lightby mentally retarded pupils, N = 61 (male — 37, female = 24) and a comparative group of pupils in I and II class of itehnical school in Split, N 58 (male = 34, female 24) have been tested. Avaerage age of the mentaly underdeveloped pupils was C = 15 years and 4 months, and of the pupils from regular secondary school C = 15 years and 1 month. After the analysis of the tree drawing it was fuond out that the mentally underdeveloped pupils of pubertal-adolescent age statistically greatly differ in abundance of infantile characteristics from the pupils of the same age in regular secondary school. Hi-/2 = 92.47, P < 1.005, Fi-coefficient = 0.883 and that their drawing is greatly under the level of normally mentally developed pupils.