The role of object violation in the development of visual analysis

The present study investigated whether sensitivity to object violations in perception as well as in action would vary with age. Five-, 6-, and 11-yr.-old children and adults solved tasks which involved perception only, motoric indication of parts, actual assembly of parts, and drawing of a violated figure. In perception, object violation was the only factor showing change across age groups, with violations being increasingly noticed. In composition tasks involving motor components, object violation was just one factor besides quantity of parts and type of segmentation contributing to task difficulty and showing increase in performance across age groups. Analysis of object violations in visual structure required abilities similar to those needed when analysing shape interference. Improved visual detection and graphic construction of object violation seemed not to occur because segmentation increased quantitatively but more likely because fast perceptual processes came under scrutiny.