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Structure and strategy in encoding simplified graphs.

D J Schiano¹, B Tversky

¹NRC/NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, California 94035.

Memory & Cognition

|January 1, 1992

Summary

People show a bias towards remembering line slopes as 45 degrees when viewing graphs, indicating a cognitive reference frame. This "diagonal bias" emerges even with simple stimuli when a specific viewing strategy is used.

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Area of Science:

Cognitive Psychology
Human-Computer Interaction
Information Visualization

Background:

Previous research identified a 45-degree bias in memory for line slopes within graphs.
This bias was absent for lines in maps, suggesting a graph-specific cognitive reference frame.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the cognitive reference frame for graph encoding using simplified stimuli.
To determine if strategic viewing influences slope perception and memory biases.

Main Methods:

Experiments used linear configurations with orthogonal axes as stimuli.
Participants viewed stimuli and were sometimes instructed to use a diagonal-reference strategy.
Stimuli were occasionally described as "graphs" to test contextual influence.

Main Results:

Slope perception and memory were predictable from stimulus structure in initial experiments.
A diagonal bias emerged when participants used a diagonal-reference strategy, regardless of stimulus complexity.
This bias was observed even when stimuli were not explicitly labeled as graphs.

Conclusions:

Converging evidence supports the diagonal as a cognitive reference frame for encoding linear graphs.
Strategic factors, such as viewing strategies, can induce encoding biases beyond stimulus structure.
Simplified displays can elicit graph-encoding biases, highlighting the role of cognitive strategies.

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