Public reporting burden for the collection of information is estimated to average 1 hour per response, including the time for reviewing instructions, searching existing data sources, gathering and maintaining the data needed, and completing and reviewing the collection of information. Send comments regarding this burden estimate or any other aspect of this collection of information, including suggestions for reducing this burden, to Washington Headquarters Services, Directorate for Information Operations and Reports, 1215 Jefferson Davis Highway, Suite 1204, Arlington VA 22202-4302. Respondents should be aware that notwithstanding any other provision of law, no person shall be subject to a penalty for failing to comply with a collection of information if it does not display a currently valid OMB control number. Task analytic theories of graph comprehension account for the perceptual and conceptual processes required to extract specific information from graphs (Carpenter & Shah, 1998 Kosslyn, 1989; Lohse, 1993; Pinker, 1990). Comparatively, the processes underlying information integration have received less attention. We propose a new framework for information integration that highlights visual integration and cognitive integration. During visual integration, pattern recognition processes are used to form visual clusters of information; these visual clusters are then used to reason about the graph during cognitive integration. In three experiments the processes required to extract specific information and to integrate information were examined by collecting verbal protocol and eye movement data. Results supported the task analytic theories for specific information extraction and the processes of visual and cognitive integration for integrative questions. Further, the integrative processes scaled up as graph complexity increased, highlighting the importance of these processes for integration in more complex graphs. Finally, based on this framework, design principles to improve both visual and cognitive integration are described. Ratwani, Trafton, & Boehm-Davis: Thinking Graphically 2 AbstractTask analytic theories of graph comprehension account for the perceptual and conceptual processes required to extract specific information from graphs (Carpenter & Shah, 1998;Kosslyn, 1989;Lohse, 1993;Pinker, 1990). Comparatively, the processes underlying information integration have received less attention. We propose a new framework for information integration that highlights visual integration and cognitive integration. During visual integration, pattern recognition processes are used to form visual clusters of information; these visual clusters are then used to reason about the graph during cognitive integration. In three experiments the processes required to extract specific information and to integrate information were examined by collecting verbal protocol and eye movement data. Results supported the task analytic theories for specific information extraction and the processes of visual and cognitive integration for inte...

Public reporting burden for the collection of information is estimated to average 1 hour per response, including the time for reviewing instructions, searching existing data sources, gathering and maintaining the data needed, and completing and reviewing the collection of information. Send comments regarding this burden estimate or any other aspect of this collection of information, including suggestions for reducing this burden, to Washington Headquarters Services, Directorate for Information Operations and Reports, 1215 Jefferson Davis Highway, Suite 1204, Arlington VA 22202-4302. Respondents should be aware that notwithstanding any other provision of law, no person shall be subject to a penalty for failing to comply with a collection of information if it does not display a currently valid OMB control number. Previous research examining how people resume a task following an interruption has focused primarily on pure memory processes. In this paper, we focus on the perceptual processes underlying task resumption and show that spatial memory guides task resumption. In Experiment 1, fixation patterns suggest participants were able to resume remarkably close to where they were in the task prior to interruption. In Experiment 2, a spatial interruption disrupted resumption performance more than a non-spatial interrupting task. Together, these results implicate spatial memory as a mechanism for resumption. Previous research examining how people resume a task following an interruption has focused primarily on pure memory processes. In this paper, we focus on the perceptual processes underlying task resumption and show that spatial memory guides task resumption. In Experiment 1, fixation patterns suggest participants were able to resume remarkably close to where they were in the task prior to interruption. In Experiment 2, a spatial interruption disrupted resumption performance more than a non-spatial interrupting task. Together, these results implicate spatial memory as a mechanism for resumption. REPORT DATE

Public reporting burden for the collection of information is estimated to average 1 hour per response, including the time for reviewing instructions, searching existing data sources, gathering and maintaining the data needed, and completing and reviewing the collection of information. Send comments regarding this burden estimate or any other aspect of this collection of information, including suggestions for reducing this burden, to Washington Headquarters Services, Directorate for Information Operations and Reports, 1215 Jefferson Davis Highway, Suite 1204, Arlington VA 22202-4302. Respondents should be aware that notwithstanding any other provision of law, no person shall be subject to a penalty for failing to comply with a collection of information if it does not display a currently valid OMB control number. Most theories of graph comprehension posit the existence of a graph schema to account for people's prior knowledge of how to understand different graph types. The graph schema is, however, a purely theoretical construct: there are no empirical studies that have explicitly examined the nature of the graph schema. We sought to determine whether graph schemas are based on perceptual features or on a common invariant structure shared between certain graphs. The process of activating the graph schema was isolated as participants responded to graphs presented in pure and mixed blocks. Any differences in reaction time between the blocks could be attributed to loading the appropriate schema. Results from a series of experiments using five types of graphs suggest graph schemas are based on the graphical framework, a common invariant structure among certain types of graphs. These results provide insight into the comprehension of novel graphs. REPORT DATE