Abstract
Two experiments investigated the mental representation of spatial descriptions. In Experiment 1, the subjects classified a series of diagrams, each presented after a spatial description, as either consistent or inconsistent with the description. They were then given an unexpected recognition test of their memory for the descriptions. The subjects remembered the meanings of determinate descriptions very much better than those of grossly indeterminate descriptions; their memory for a description was not reliably affected by whether or not the diagram had been consistent with it. Experiment 2 extended these findings and showed that, although the semantic implications of a determinate description are better remembered than are those of an indeterminate description, the verbatim details of an indeterminate description are easier to recall than are those of a determinate description. The results are taken to imply the existence of two different sorts of encoding: propositional representations that are relatively hard to remember but correspond closely to the sentences in the description, and mental models that are relatively easy to remember but are analogous to spatial arrays and accordingly poor in linguistic detail.
Article PDF
Similar content being viewed by others
Avoid common mistakes on your manuscript.
Reference Note
Ehrlich, K., & Johnson-Laird, P. N.Spatial descriptions and referential continuity. Journal of Verbal Learning and Verbal Behavior, in press.
References
Anderson, J. R. Arguments concerning representations for mental imagery.Psychological Review, 1978,85, 249–277.
Barclay, J. R. The role of comprehension in remembering sentences.Cognitive Psychology, 1973,4, 229–254.
Bar-Hillel, Y., &Carnap, R. An outline of a theory of semantic information. In Y. Bar-Hillel (Ed.),Language and information. Reading, Mass: Addison-Wesley, 1964.
Bransford, J. D., Barclay, J. R., &Franks, J. J. Sentence memory: A constructive versus interpretive approach.Cognitive Psychology, 1972,3, 193–209.
Craik, F. I. M., &Lockhart, R. S. Levels of processing: A framework for memory research.Journal of Verbal Learning and Verbal Behavior, 1972,11, 671–684.
Craik, F. I. M., &Tulving, E. Depth of processing and the retention of words in episodic memory.Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, 1975,104, 268–294.
Fodor, J. D., Fodor, J. A., &Garrett, M. F. The psychological unreality of semantic representations.Linguistic Inquiry, 1975,4, 515–531.
Johnson-Laird, P. N. The perception and memory of sentences. In J. Lyons (Ed.),New horizons in linguistics. Harmondsworth, England: Penguin, 1970.
Johnson-Laird, P. N. Mental models in cognitive science.Cognitive Science, 1980,4, 71–115.
Johnson-Laird, P. N., &Bethell-Fox, C. E. Memory for questions and amount of processing.Memory & Cognition, 1978,6, 496–501.
Kintsch, W.The representation of meaning in memory. Hillsdale, N.J: Erlbaum, 1974.
Kosslyn, S. M., &Pomerantz, J. R. Imagery, propositions and the form of internal representations.Cognitive Psychology, 1977,9, 52–76.
Lawson, R. Representation of individual sentences and holistic ideas.Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Learning and Memory, 1977,3, 1–9.
Moeser, S. D., &Tarrant, B. L. Learning a network of comparisons.Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Learning and Memory, 1977,3, 643–659.
Paivio, A.Imagery and verbal processes. New York: Holt, Rinehart, & Winston, 1971.
Palmer, S. E. Visual perception and world knowledge: Notes on a model of sensory-cognitive interaction. In D. A. Norman, D. E. Rumelhart, & the LNR Research Group (Eds.),Explorations in cognition. San Francisco: Freeman, 1975.
Pylyshyn, Z. W. What the mind’s eye tells the mind’s brain: A critique of mental imagery.Psychological Bulletin, 1973,80, 1–24.
Shepard, R. N. The mental image.American Psychologist, 1978,33, 125–137.
Warner, S. A., & Griggs, R. A. Processing partially ordered information. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Learning and Memory, in press.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Additional information
This research was carried out as part of a project supported by the Social Science Research Council (Great Britain), to whom we are indebted.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Mani, K., Johnson-Laird, P.N. The mental representation of spatial descriptions. Memory & Cognition 10, 181–187 (1982). https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03209220
Received:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03209220