Text and photo by Marvin Bartel
 During the
Schematic
stage it is common to see the repeated use of a fairly rigid symbol system (left brain images).
During this stage a child typically draws a picture of a person the same way time after time, but details are changed to reflect a particular situation.  In this case the arms are modified to create the gesture of being thoughtful.

When drawing from personal experience during the schematic stage it is common for children to construct drawings of persons, animals, and things from simple geometric shapes. If this body or one of these legs were removed from its context it would scarcely be recognizable.

to> more schematic stage information 
 
to>preschematic picture
to>thinking picture
to>x-ray picture
to>quest for order
to>scribble information
preschematic information
to>schematic information
to>making it easier to observe 
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Sources:
Many authors and researchers in art education have written about the stages of artistic development.  
Viktor Lowenfeld made many observations and described the stages in his book, Creative and Mental Growth.  The 4th  edition of Creative and Mental Growth by Viktor Lowenfeld and W. Lambert Brittain. 1964 includes a  summary with charts describing the development stages in Chaper 13. pages 395 to 402.