Specific and shared cognitive predictors of drawing and block building in typically developing children

Area of Science:

• Developmental Neuropsychology
• Cognitive Neuroscience
• Educational Psychology

Background:

• Spatial construction is a complex cognitive ability essential for development.
• It involves various processes including attention, visual processing, and motor coordination.
• The specific cognitive underpinnings of drawing and block-building tasks remain underexplored.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the shared and specific cognitive predictors of two spatial construction tasks: drawing (Rey-Osterrieth Complex Figure; ROCF) and block building (Block Design; BD).
• To examine the influence of working memory, attention, executive functions, verbal abilities, and visuo-motor coordination on these tasks in typically developing children.
• To differentiate cognitive processes crucial for general spatial construction versus those specific to drawing or block building.

Main Methods:

• Path analysis was employed with a sample of 195 typically developing children (aged 7-11 years).
• Predictors included verbal and spatial working memory, spatial attention, inhibition, vocabulary, naming, figure disembedding, mental rotation, visuo-motor coordination, and demographics.
• Performance on the ROCF and BD tasks served as the outcome measures.

Main Results:

• Figure disembedding and visuo-motor coordination were identified as the sole shared predictors for both ROCF and BD tasks.
• ROCF performance was significantly associated with spatial attention and inhibition.
• BD performance was linked to sex, vocabulary, mental rotation, and backward spatial working memory.

Conclusions:

• The findings differentiate cognitive abilities essential for general spatial construction from those specific to drawing or block building.
• This distinction offers valuable insights for neuropsychological assessment and targeted interventions for children experiencing spatial construction difficulties.
• Understanding task-specific cognitive profiles can refine diagnostic and therapeutic approaches in developmental neuropsychology.