Sixty-three children ranging in age from three to nine years made age judgments on drawings of human figures. The stimuli consisted of four different male figures drawn according to typical physical characteristics of the middle-aged adult, adolescent, child, and infant. The figures were reproduced in two sizes and were presented to the subjects…

Two experiments investigated perceptual primacy of dimensional and similarity relations in stimulus classifications of younger and older subjects. Results support a differential-sensitivity view of perceptual development which asserts that individuals at all ages primarily perceive and use separate relations. (RWB)