Abstract
Theories of diagrammatic reasoning typically seek to account for either the formal semantics of diagrams, or for the cognitive advantages which diagrams hold over other forms of representation. Regrettably, almost no theory exists which accounts for these issues jointly, nor how they affect one another. This chapter sets out the basis for such a combined theory, the main parts being: a principled exploration of the fundamental components of diagrammatic languages; semantic and cognitive perspectives on reasoning in diagrams; and the relation between these three parts. This chapter thus lays out a larger context than is generally used for examining the use of diagrams in reasoning or communication. A context in which detailed studies of sub-problems — here, what it is that makes diagrams effective — may be embedded.
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Gurr, C.A. (2002). Combining Semantic and Cognitive Accounts of Diagrams. In: Anderson, M., Meyer, B., Olivier, P. (eds) Diagrammatic Representation and Reasoning. Springer, London. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4471-0109-3_7
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4471-0109-3_7
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