Abstract
Recent studies in neuroeducation underlie the benefits of teaching children about how the brain works. However, little is known about children’s naïve representations of the brain. The current study examined these representations, by asking 5- to 11-year-old children (N = 257) to draw a brain (and a stomach – as a control drawing). The drawings were scored using a content analysis and a list of graphic indicators was derived. First, all the graphic indicators used in the brain drawings were different from those used in the stomach drawings, suggesting that children are able to distinguish these two parts of the body. Second, 5- and 6year-olds tended to draw the brain as an empty shape, whereas from the age of 7, children used an increasing number of graphic indicators such as hemispheres, furrows, lobes, and brainstem. These results are discussed in relation to children’s metacognitive knowledge and to their implications for neuroeducation. <br /><br />Poster File available on: <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/336233138_What_is_the_brain_made_of_Examining_children's_developing_representations_through_their_drawings">https://www.researchgate.net/publication/336233138_What_is_the_brain_made_of_Examining_children's_developing_representations_through_their_drawings</a>