Concepts may be organized into taxonomies varying in inclusiveness or abstraction, such as furniture, table, card table animal, bird, robin. For of common objects and organisms, the basic level, level has been determined to most informative (Rosch, Mervis, Gray, Johnson, & Boyes-Braem, 1976). Psychology, linguistics, anthropology have produced a variety measures perception, behavior, communication that converge on level. Here, we present data showing differs qualitatively from other levels...

The present research aims at examining what information architects think of and read off from their own freehand sketches, revealing how they perceptually interact with benefit sketches. We explored this in a protocol analysis retrospective reports; each participant worked on an architectural design task while drawing sketches later reported she/he had been thinking during the task. This lies within scope examinations why as external representation are essential for crystallizing ideas early...

How do people perceive routine events, such as making a bed, these events unfold in time? Research on knowledge structures suggests that conceive of goal-directed partonomic hierarchies. Here, participants segmented videos into coarse and fine units separate viewings; some described the activity each unit well. Both segmentation descriptions support hierarchical bias hypothesis event perception: Observers spontaneously encoded terms Hierarchical organization was strengthened by simultaneous...

How does space come to be used represent nonspatial relations, as in graphs? Approximately 1200 children and adults from three language cultures, English, Hebrew, Arabic, produced graphic representations of spatial, temporal, quantitative, preference relations. Children placed stickers on square pieces paper represent, for example, a disliked food, liked favorite food. Two major analyses these data were performed. The analysis directionality the represented relation showed effects direction...

In four experiments, subjects read route or survey descriptions of naturalistic environments and then answered verbatim inference questions from both perspectives drew maps the environments. all studies, were faster more accurate to than questions, suggesting that are verified against a representation text descriptions. Subjects as fast perspective new perspective, situation described by text. Map drawings very for description types. A separate group studied instead descriptions, their...

Subjects read narratives describing directions of objects around a standing or reclimng observer, who was periodically reoriented. RTs were measured to identify which object currently located beyond the observer's head, feet, front, back, fight, and left. When observer standing, head/feet fastest, followed by front/back then right/left. For reclining The data support spatial framework model, according space is conceptualized in terms three axes whose accessibility depends on body asymmetries...

Abstract Depictive expressions of thought predate written language by thousands years. They have evolved in communities through a kind informal user testing that has refined them. Analyzing common visual communications reveals consistencies illuminate how people think as well guide design; the process can be brought into laboratory and accelerated. Like language, abstract schematize; unlike they use properties page (e.g., proximity place: center, horizontal/up–down, vertical/left–right)...

Many topics in science are notoriously difficult for students to learn. Mechanisms and processes outside student experience present particular challenges. While instruction typically involves visualizations, usually explain words. Because visual explanations can show parts of complex systems directly, creating them should have benefits beyond verbal explanations. We compared learning from or two STEM domains, a mechanical system (bicycle pump) chemical (bonding). Both kinds were analyzed...

Four experiments explored readers' mental models of described scenes. Environments were from one two perspectives, an internal perspective observer within the scene, surrounded by objects, or external outside scence, with objects in front. Subjects read narratives describing a scene and probed for locations objects. In general case, reaction times to identify fastest head/feet (above/below) axis, then front/back (front/behind) left/right conforming spatial framework analysis which reflects...

A number of spatial reasoning problems can be solved by performing an imagined transformation one’s egocentric perspective. series experiments were carried out to characterize this process behaviorally and in terms its brain basis, using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). In a task contrast designed isolate perspective transformations, participants slower make left-right judgments about human figure from the figure’s than their own. This led increased cortical activity around left...

Human activity takes place in space. To act effectively, people need mental representations of People’s space differ from as conceived by physicists, geometers, and cartographers. Mental are constructions based on elements, the things space, spatial relations among them relative to a reference frame. People different spaces depending task at hand. The considered here body, around navigation, graphics. Different elements central for functioning spaces, yielding representations.

Cognitive maps refer to mental representations of or environments, as revealed in a variety tasks. The simplest model cognitive is that they are random degradations real ones. Research using distance judgments, direction map recognition, construction, and other information from memory for environments suggests distortions, rather than being random, systematic. They result organizing principles, such hierarchical organization, perspective, reference points frames, devices facilitate induce...

Abstract Degree of pupil dilation has been shown to be a valid and reliable measure cognitive load, but the effect aural versus visual task presentation on is unknown. To evaluate effects mode, was measured in three tasks spanning range activities: mental multiplication, digit sequence recall, vigilance. Stimuli were presented both aurally visually, controlling for all known influences diameter. The patterns similar tasks, magnitudes response greater presentation. Accuracy higher arithmetic...