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Related Experiment Videos

Centration-distortion error: a criterion of perceptual dysfunction.

V Mecke

    Behavioral Neuropsychiatry
    |April 1, 1974
    PubMed
    Summary

    Centration, a perceptual process, reliably differentiates neurologically impaired children from emotionally disturbed children. This finding supports using drawing distortions as a diagnostic indicator in child psychology.

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    Centration: a perceptual process diacritic of intellection and a differential diagnostic criterion.

    Perceptual and motor skillsยท1969
    See all related articles

    Area of Science:

    • Child Psychology
    • Neurodevelopmental Disorders
    • Perceptual Processes

    Background:

    • Centration, defined by Piaget, involves an involuntary focus on one sensory aspect of a field, leading to perceptual distortions.
    • This study explores centration as a potential differentiator between neurologically impaired and emotionally disturbed children.
    • Neurologically impaired children are presumed to have primary perceptual deficits, while emotionally disturbed children have primary intellectual deficits.

    Purpose of the Study:

    • To determine if centration can serve as a criterion for distinguishing between neurologically impaired and emotionally disturbed children.
    • To investigate the relationship between the centration-distortion error in drawing tasks and neurological impairment.
    • To validate the hypothesis that the centration-distortion error is characteristic of drawings by neurologically impaired children.

    Main Methods:

    • A sample of 44 children, diagnosed via EEG, psychological tests, and psychiatric interviews, was studied.
    • Eleven children were diagnosed with minimal brain damage, and 33 with emotional disturbance.
    • Three psychologists blindly scored Bender Gestalt tests for indicators of brain injury, emotional disturbance (Koppitz' criteria), and the centration-distortion error.

    Main Results:

    • The hypothesis that the centration-distortion error characterizes drawings of neurologically impaired children was upheld.
    • The findings achieved a .001 level of confidence, indicating statistical significance.
    • The results validated a previous pilot study on the diagnostic utility of centration.

    Conclusions:

    • Centration is a valid perceptual criterion for differentiating neurologically impaired children from emotionally disturbed children.
    • Drawing analysis, specifically identifying the centration-distortion error, can aid in differential diagnosis.
    • The study provides empirical support for Piaget's concept of centration in clinical child psychology.

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