Differences in Negro and White Drawings: A Cultural Interpretation

Abstract

While testing in schools with predominantly Negro populations, it was noted that the hair in the DAP was grossly overemphasized and distorted. Drawings were obtained from 122 Negro and 103 white junior high school students. Using 10 criteria for evaluating hair emphasis, 2 independent judges significantly differentiated drawings by Negro and white Ss. The hair:face area ratio was significantly greater for the drawings done by the Negro children than for those by the white children. The “sexual virility” hypothesis, the usual interpretation of hair emphasis or elaboration, was ruled out in favor of a cultural interpretation which reflected the Negro's desire for assimilation and integration. Es emphasize that care must be taken in the interpretation of DAPs obtained from Negroes when these interpretations are based on normative data, statistical or personal, which excludes this group.