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ERIC Number: ED164546
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 1976-Sep
Pages: 13
Abstractor: N/A
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
The Barbee Doll Mentality and the Goodenough-Harris Drawing Test.
Troll, Enid Williams
The author suggests that the scoring criteria for the Draw-A-Woman Scale of the Goodenough-Harris Drawing Test reflect outmoded images and attitudes of the female. The woman-as-sex-object image is called the "Barbee Doll Mentality." This suggestion was tested in a sample of eleven to thirteen-year old sixth graders. The children--44 boys and 62 girls--were asked to draw a person. Ninety-five percent of the boys drew males; 5% drew females. Of the girls, 69% drew females; 26% drew males; and 4% drew equivocal pictures of humans. Using Harris' data as a basis for scoring, children who drew sexually mature females (as opposed to sexually undeveloped females) received higher scores. The present data indicated that few of the girls tested in 1975 (from 3 to 18%) emphasized stereotyped physical characteristics in the females they drew. It was also noted that equal percentages of girls drew sexually mature females as sexually mature males. It was concluded that the 1975 sample of children, as compared to those used to standardize earlier versions of the test, drew more "unisex" clothing on their persons. A one-page literature review, and item analyses are appended. (GDC)
Publication Type: Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Assessments and Surveys: Goodenough Harris Drawing Test
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A