Visualizing thought: Mapping category and continuum

Barbara Tversky, James E. Corter, Lixiu Yu, David L. Mason, Jeffrey V. Nickerson

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingConference contributionpeer-review

Abstract

Abstract thought has roots in the spatial world. Abstractions are expressed in the ways things are arranged in the world as well as the ways people talk and gesture. Mappings to the page should be better when they are congruent, that is, when the abstract concept matches the spatial one. Congruent mappings can be revealed in people’s performance and preferences. Congruence is supported here for visual representations of continuum and category. Congruently mapping a continuous concept, frequency, to a continuous visual variable and mapping a categorical concept, class inclusion, to a categorical visual variable were preferred and lead to better performance than the reverse mappings.

Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationExpanding the Space of Cognitive Science - Proceedings of the 33rd Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, CogSci 2011
EditorsLaura Carlson, Christoph Hoelscher, Thomas F. Shipley
Pages1577-1582
Number of pages6
ISBN (Electronic)9780976831877
StatePublished - 2011
Event33rd Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society: Expanding the Space of Cognitive Science, CogSci 2011 - Boston, United States
Duration: 20 Jul 201123 Jul 2011

Publication series

NameExpanding the Space of Cognitive Science - Proceedings of the 33rd Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, CogSci 2011

Conference

Conference33rd Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society: Expanding the Space of Cognitive Science, CogSci 2011
Country/TerritoryUnited States
CityBoston
Period20/07/1123/07/11

Keywords

  • Diagrammatic reasoning
  • design
  • information systems
  • networks
  • spatial metaphors

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