An Exploration of Social Science Methodology in Relation to Image Recognition Based on the Analysis of Two Children's Drawings

Abstract

The analysis of children's drawings allows a discussion of the constitution of pictures. It helps to criticize existing sociological methods of image analysis, which are based on Erwin PANOFSKY's famous article "Ikonographie und Ikonologie" (1975 [1932]). Children's drawings seem to show a specific dimension that cannot be analyzed with methods based on PANOFSKY. The assumption of such dimensions in children's drawings might suggest that this is a general characteristic of pictures. In order to find fruitful methods of analysis, the question of how pictures are constituted must be discussed. In order to answer this question and develop theories of picture constitution, methods of analysis must be critically reflected on. Sociological knowledge shows how to bridge theoretical and methodical approaches. URN: http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:0114-fqs130132

Keywords

• children’s drawings
• visual data analysis methods
• visual sociology