Aspects of Psychosomatic Orchidalgia

Children aged 5 to 9 years matched the shape of (a) small squares embedded in large rectangles and (b) small rectangles embedded in large squares. Predictions made were that (a) the influence of the whole on the perception of the part would be greatest at the 5-year-old level and (b) this effect of the whole would make the parts look to the child somewhat like the whole figure of which the part is a member. Both predictions were supported by the data. The 5-year-olds perceived the small squares as more rectangular, and the small rectangles as more square-like, significantly more than the older age groups, each result representing a shift towards the shape of the whole configuration.