Abstract
The interpretation of visual images is learned. Styles of depiction are rooted in cultural milieus within which they have agreed-upon meanings. An image cannot be expected to convey the same information outside its milieu. Several illustrations in this article give the reader a chance to test his or her own culture perceptions. To Westerners living in a “ carpentered ” environment, an optical illusion will make one line seem longer than another of egual length, A forest dweller first observing large objects at a distance may believe them to be much smaller, because the limited range of vision in a forest does not require adjustment for distance when judging size. While perception is conditioned by environment, the two-dimensional visual image is characterized by iconic conventions that are culturally mediated. Awareness of the strengths as well as the limitations of particular conventions can help educators use visual images more effectively in cross-cultural contexts. A formative research model is proposed for this purpose
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Mangan, J. Cultural conventions of pictorial representation: Iconic literacy and education. ECTJ 26, 245–267 (1978). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02766609
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02766609