Computerized Information Retrieval: Individual Differences in the Use of Spatial vs Nonspatial Navigational Information

1995 ◽  
Vol 81 (3) ◽  
pp. 771-786 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. J. Westerman
Keyword(s):  
Information Retrieval ◽  
Individual Differences ◽  
Information Content ◽  
Spatial Ability ◽  
Interface Design ◽  
Semantic Information ◽  
Spatial Information ◽  
Computer Interface ◽  
Relative Importance ◽  
Computer Based

Although a number of experiments have demonstrated the importance of spatial ability as a predictor of computer-based performance, there is little evidence relating to the mechanics of this association or the implications for interface design. Two experiments on the relative importance of spatial and nonspatial semantic information within the context of computerized information retrieval are described. The first experiment indicated that spatial ability did not interact with the spatial information content of the computer interface. The second experiment indicated that the effects of spatial ability are attenuated when additional nonspatial semantic information is provided.

Diversity in Field-Articulation and Its Implications for Human-Computer Interface Design

1992 ◽  
Vol 36 (12) ◽  
pp. 902-906
Author(s):  
Kay M. Stanney ◽  
Gavriel Salvendy
Keyword(s):  
Individual Differences ◽  
Spatial Ability ◽  
Information Search ◽  
Interface Design ◽  
System Structure ◽  
Computer Performance ◽  
Search Tasks ◽  
Computer Interfaces ◽  
Graphical Layout ◽  
Interface Designs

The objective of this study was to investigate individual differences in cognitive styles related to spatial ability in order design computer interfaces which accommodated low spatial users. Seventy-four subjects were tested on spatial, visual and verbal cognitive tests. From the results of these tests, (12) subjects were selected and classified as low spatial/verbalizers and (12) as high spatial/visualizers. The two subject groups were tested on three interface designs: a graphical layout and an outline format, both intended to accommodate low spatial users, and a conventional hierarchical menu design. For each interface, the subjects completed (50) information search tasks. Duncan's Multiple Range comparisons (p<0.05) between the three interface designs indicated the following: in accordance with past studies, the performance of verbal subjects was 18% inferior to that of spatial subjects on the conventional interface which required subjects to self-induce the hierarchical system structure; by designing a graphical interface which provided the system structure and an interface with an outline format which eliminated the need for structuring, no differences were detected between the verbal and spatial groups. The implication was that the influences of individual differences in spatial ability on computer performance can be overcome by cognitively tailored interface designs.

Spatial Development

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeffrey J. Lockman ◽  
Nicholas E. Fears ◽  
Emily A. Lewis
Keyword(s):  
Individual Differences ◽  
Spatial Ability ◽  
Spatial Information ◽  
Spatial Development ◽  
Spatial Behavior ◽  
Cross Cultural Differences ◽  
Spatial Understanding ◽  
Impact Of Technology ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Perception Action

Spatial ability is manifest across different psychological domains, including perception, action, and cognition. The development of spatial understanding originates in the perception-action skills of infants. When infants act on the world, either during object manipulation or locomotion, one may begin to glean the foundations of older children’s and adults’ efforts to think, reason, and solve problems more symbolically and abstractly. Even during infancy, different actions, such as reaching and locomotion, may incur different spatial demands, requiring infants to use spatial information flexibly. In the preschool years and beyond, as symbolic skills become more developed, children’s spatial abilities become more abstract, which are reflected in their abilities to think about the layout of environments and to use maps to learn about environments. Besides differences in spatial ability as a function of developmental level, individual differences in spatial ability have also been documented as a function of gender, daily experience, and blindness. Collectively, research on individual differences in spatial development suggests that training procedures can reduce differences in spatial skill that may arise in different individuals. Finally, to understand spatial development more fully, research is needed on the neural bases of spatial development, cross-cultural differences in spatial development, and the impact of technology on spatial behavior.

Film Narrative and Computer-Interface Design

2011 ◽  
pp. 941-943
Author(s):  
Gary A. Berg
Keyword(s):  
New Media ◽  
Interface Design ◽  
Interactive Multimedia ◽  
Computer Interface ◽  
Instructional Designers ◽  
Educational Effectiveness ◽  
Computer Based ◽  
Ready Access ◽  
Narrative Language ◽  
Narrative Conventions

Some scholars have noted the link between film narrative and computer-interface design (Berg, 2003; Plowman, 1994). Similarities between early film and interactive multimedia in the establishment of narrative conventions such as intertitles and narration are clear. Burch (1981) describes the transition from early film involving a linearization of the narrative for viewers. Early film emphasized spectacle and the documentation of unrelated events. Events and individual shots were not woven into a coherent narrative until D. W. Griffith and others led to the development of montage and a cinematic narrative language. Some suggest that this same process of creating new media conventions needs to occur to increase the educational effectiveness of computer-based programs (Berg, 2003). Instructional designers working in computer environments do not have ready access to an established narrative language and consequently need to be more explicit in their structure. The user’s knowledge of film conventions allows the authors to feel confident that their narrative can be quickly and simply understood. Consequently, instructional designers need to spend time developing narrative conventions and making narrative elements clear to the learners.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document