In previous research (DJ Bryant, B. Tversky, & N. Franklin, 1992; N. Franklin & B. Tversky,
1990), the authors showed that spatial knowledge conveyed by descriptions and direct …

Publisher Summary This chapter reviews that spatial descriptions spontaneously construct
spatial mental models of the described scenes as a natural consequence of reading for …

Four experiments explored readers' mental models of described scenes. Environments were
described from one of two perspectives, an internal perspective of an observer within the …

Spatial language is widely used, both literally to describe space and figuratively to express a
broad range of ideas. This article reviews two projects studying the nature of mental …

In two experiments, participants received a spatial description relating a route through an
environment. Descriptions differed in terms of the spatial perspective presented, either route …

Three experiments investigated whether the similarity of relational structures influences the
interpretation of spatial representations. Adults were shown diagrams of hand gestures …

Mental models of text are representations of what the text is about (ie, situations), rather than
representations of the text itself. Many mental model theories propose that mental models …

The theory of mental models postulates that individuals infer that a spatial description is
consistent only if they can construct a model in which all the assertions in the description are …

In six experiments, subjects read narratives describing varying spatial scenes with more
than one point of view. They were probed with questions about objects located in six …

Two experiments investigated whether the spatial reference directions that are used to
specify objects' locations in memory can be solely determined by layout geometry …