Journal of Research in Educational Systems

Abstract This study aims to investigate the effect of art education on the visual memory of the individual. Concerning the fact that improving the quality of perceptual structure will lead to the promotion of memory quality, any discussion on the quality of memory and its improvement is a subject for further scrutiny toward perception and organization of information in people’s minds. The attempt is made to do the evaluation in an experimental setting to answer two research questions. First, what is the effect of art education on perceptual structure of people? Second, what is the effect of art education on visual memory? The test is called “The Copy and Complex Geometric Figure Test of Andre Rey”. Sixty examinees including thirty students of visual art and thirty other non-art students participated in this study. Statistical methods were used to analyze the data. Comparing the scores showed a significant difference in the criteria of perceptual structure as well as the visual memory. Based upon the results of perceptual structure in terms of quality, enriched drawing, drawing style, and the length of drawing, non-art individuals displayed lower scores than the art students. On the other hand, results of recreation of the shapes showed that the richness and the authenticity of recreation i.e., the measure of visual memory in art students were far higher than non-art students.

Abstract Perception is the process by which the sensation, that is, information derived from the sensory organs, becomes a whole organized and meaningful one. The importance of perception is that the world around us provides a regular basis and a ground for knowledge. On the other hand, achieving a perceived samorah of the world's relations and principles and ultimately a balanced cognition is the alphabet of entering the world of artistic creation. The artist needs organized perception to represent and create artwork. In this research, it is assumed that the artist's perception has been improved by practicing some of the exercises (referred to in the text). To prove this hypothesis, in this research, a tool called the "Andrew Ray" complex geometric shapes test has been used. This test also allows us to find out whether a perception is slow or at ideal speed. The present study seeks to answer two fundamental questions. First, how can the acquisition of artistic skills affect the performance of people's perceptions? And secondly, how can the acquisition of artistic skills affect the reaction time of individuals? For this purpose, 60 subjects including 30 students of different branches of visual arts and 30 individuals from non-artistic subjects participated in this research. Statistical analysis was used to analyze the data of the research. Comparison of scores between two groups of students of visual arts and non-artistic subjects who have not received any special education shows a significant difference in perceptual organization criteria. Based on the results of this test, two criteria for measuring the perceptual organization of individuals, including the quality of drawing and the style of drawing (the process of drawing stages), in the non-artistic group, is weaker than the artistic group. Also, in the artistic group, the process of perception is shorter than the non-artistic group.