Effects of exposure duration on part-whole perception in children

Drawings of familiar objects arranged to suggest more general wholes (e.g., a beast made of pieces of fruit) were presented to 128 children aged 3-12 years, using 4 exposure durations. The ability to see both parts and wholes together improved with age, confirming earlier studies. In addition, the results suggest that limiting viewing time affects the ability to see both parts and wholes together (in a sequential, nonintegrated fashion) more in young children than in older children. The results further suggest that for younger children duration does not affect the ability to see parts and wholes in a hierarchical relationship. These results are interpreted as suggesting that at least 2 different processes mediate part-whole perception in children.