Influence of six types of visual structure on complexity judgments in children and adults

Individuals at five grade levels (kindergarten, Grade 2, Grade 4, Grade 6, and college) made pair-comparison judgments of visual complexity. The influence of the presence or absence of six types of visual structure (double symmetry, vertical symmetry, horizontal symmetry, diagonal symmetry, checkerboard organization, and rotational organization) and of amount of contour were examined. Two general developmental trends were revealed: First, the age at which visual structure initially affected complexity judgments varied with the type of structure, independent of amount of contour, within the range of contour values used. Second, there was a uniform increase in the effect of structure on complexity judgments between the fourth and sixth grades. These results are discussed in relation to possible mechanisms of visual pattern encoding and complexity judgment.