Sensory vs. Cultural (cont.)
Visualization = Learned
Language ?
–Meaning
of Symbol = Created by Convention
–If true, choice of visual
representation arbitrary
–Semiotics
= Study of Symbols and how they convey Meaning
Choice of Visual
Representation Matters
–Outlines
–Object outline and object itself
excite similar neural processes
–Visual cortex designed to
detect continuous contours
–Similar
perceptual illusions / blindness in humans and animals
–Not all
diagrammatic notations are equal
Most visualizations are Hybrids
–Learned
conventions and hard-wired processing