The Rey figure in Amazonia: effects of jungle living on childrens' copy performance

This exploratory case study investigated the organizational strategies and visual-motor integration skills of 6 children living in the Amazon rainforest of Peru. As expected, a developmental trend was observed for age as older children generally required less time to draw a complex design and produced better renditions than younger children. Unexpectedly, all children, including those below the age of 8, utilized the left side of the design as an anchor in adopting a left to right strategic approach to task solution. Results are discussed in terms of potential sociocultural and neurobiological influences on brain organization, development of cognitive abilities, and potential for cultural bias when evaluating ethnic minority children.