Differential cognitive cues in pictorial depth perception among Ugandan children

Four pictures from Hudson's Depth Perception Test containing size, super-position or overlap, and linear perspective cues were administered to 240 Ugandan primary school children. The key question asked regarding the relationship of elements in each picture varied in terms of “Which (is/looks) (nearer/farther) to (man/you), the elephant or the antelope?”. Results suggested that depth in pictorial material was perceived significantly higher for the question variation “which is/looks farther” rather than “nearer.” In addition, the main effects of “grades” and “man/you” and the “grade x nearer/farther” interaction were statistically significant. Results are discussed in terms of culturally constituted experience and the effects of attentional factors and lexical markings inherent in the relational concepts used in the key question.