Abstract
Computer graphics programs can be regarded as producing a kind of “externalized mental imagery.” These programs are constructed to perform as aids to visualization, allowing one to observe the results of visualizing and transforming patterns. To the extent that the programs circumvent the resolution and capacity limitations of the human visual imagery system, they are a definite advance over visualizing in one’s head. That is, natural visualization is limited by how sharp a person’s mental images are and by how much material can be maintained or transformed at once in an image. Computer graphics programs in principle need have no such limitations. However, to the extent that graphics programs are “unnatural” or incapable of mimicking human imagery transformations, they will be more difficult to learn and use. This paper compares and contrasts human imagery with several graphics programs on more than 30 dimensions, with a twofold purpose: to explore ways in which graphics programs could be improved to better externalize mental imagery and to discover ways in which human imagery might be enhanced by utilizing ideas from computer graphics.
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© 1986 Plenum Press, New York
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Weber, R.J., Kosslyn, S.M. (1986). Computer Graphics and Mental Imagery. In: Chang, SK., Ichikawa, T., Ligomenides, P.A. (eds) Visual Languages. Management and Information Systems. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4613-1805-7_13
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4613-1805-7_13
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