Abstract
Previous research has shown that linear reasoning about visual relations is slower than reasoning about spatial or abstract relations. It has been proposed that this “visual impedance” effect occurs because visual information interferes with creating a spatial mental model of the problem. Here we examine whether the construction of a spatial mental model depends on the content (visual, abstract, and spatial) of the problems and on individual differences. Half of the participants made notes during reasoning, and all were asked about the strategies they used. Accuracy on visual relations was worse than on spatial or abstract relations. When reasoners were allowed to make notes, their external representations were typically spatial (i.e., abstract diagrams), and accuracy was higher and depended less on ability measures than for those who did not make notes; yet the visual impedance effect remained. These data imply reasoners typically externalize their representations of linear reasoning problems as diagrams, and with these diagrams, problem solving is less effortful.
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DeLeeuw, K.E., Hegarty, M. (2008). What Diagrams Reveal about Representations in Linear Reasoning, and How They Help. In: Stapleton, G., Howse, J., Lee, J. (eds) Diagrammatic Representation and Inference. Diagrams 2008. Lecture Notes in Computer Science(), vol 5223. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-540-87730-1_11
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-540-87730-1_11
Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg
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