The Visuospatial Dimension of Writing

The authors suggest that writing should be conceived of not only as a verbal activity but also as a visuospatial activity, in which writers process and construct visuospatial mental representations. After briefly describing research on visuospatial cognition, they look at how cognitive researchers h...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Written communication 2012-07, Vol.29 (3), p.326-344
Main Authors: Olive, Thierry, Passerault, Jean-Michel
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Cognition & reasoning
Cognitive Processes
Cognitive science
Computer Uses in Education
Data Analysis
Memory
Planning
Psychology
Reader Text Relationship
Short Term Memory
Spatial Ability
Writing
Writing (Composition)
Writing Processes
Writing Research
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Summary:The authors suggest that writing should be conceived of not only as a verbal activity but also as a visuospatial activity, in which writers process and construct visuospatial mental representations. After briefly describing research on visuospatial cognition, they look at how cognitive researchers have investigated the visuospatial dimension of the mental representations and processes engaged in writing. First, they show how Hayes’s research integrated the visuospatial dimension of writing. Second, they describe how the written trace can serve as a visual resource. Third, they focus on the visuospatial processes involved in constructing an overall representation of the text and its physical layout. Finally, they review findings on the visuospatial demands that planning places on working memory. All the data and theories presented in this article support the idea that writing is indeed a visuospatial activity.
ISSN:0741-0883
1552-8472
DOI:10.1177/0741088312451111