Thus, the Gestalt principle of similarity benefits visual perception, but it can provide benefits to VWM as well. In short, the VWM performance benefit derived from similarity was constrained by spatial proximity, such that similar items need to be near each other. Experiment 2 replicated and extended this finding by showing that similarity was only effective when the similar stimuli were proximal. Experiment 1 established the basic finding that VWM performance could benefit from grouping. Here, we investigated whether grouping by similarity benefits VWM. However, one prevalent Gestalt principle, similarity, has not been examined with regard to facilitating VWM. ![]() This introduces the question, do these perceptual benefits extend to VWM? If so, can this be an approach to enhance VWM function by optimizing the processing of information? Previous findings have demonstrated that several Gestalt principles (connectedness, common region, and spatial proximity) do facilitate VWM performance in change detection tasks (Jiang, Olson, & Chun, 2000 Woodman, Vecera, & Luck, 2003 Xu, 2002, 2006 Xu & Chun, 2007). Visual perception processing is facilitated by Gestalt principles of grouping, such as connectedness, similarity, and proximity. This spatial problem is difficult to solve, especially with complex datasets, and must be planned for in deploying any data visualization.Visual working memory (VWM) is essential for many cognitive processes, yet it is notably limited in capacity. Instead, similarity is graphically denoted with a container or a visible line connecting one element to another. One major challenge of deploying more complex data visualization methods, such as force-directed networks, sankey diagrams, or circle-packing, is that often times with such charts proximity does not mean similarity. In the case of ordering by value, bars are nearest to the bars that they have similar values with, while categorical ordering groups bars based on attribute similarity not conveyed in the length of the bar. Clean chart design that groups bars into categories or sorts them by descending or ascending values works because it aligns the chart to accord with what the reader visually expects (that things near each other are more similar to each other). We don't typically think that bars in a bar chart are similar simply because they are next to each other, nor do we assume slices in a pie chart are similar to each other because they are neighbors, but that's actually what's being conveyed. The circles on the right have been split into two groups by simply making the 10 circles on the left closer to each other than the 30 circles on the right. Some of these unintentional graphical signals are already present in this simple figure: the implied columns and rows seeming to indicate 8 or 5 other groups The color red, because of its hue, implies activation, while the subdued gray implies deactivation The memory of all circles being initially gray with only half transitioning to red reinforces this activation signal.Ī graphical element being close to another graphical element is a strong indication of similarity. Once we formalize how we are using graphical features to indicate category, quantity, or topology-even the most fundamental like color similarity-we also notice features that unintentionally convey meaning. ![]() But while gestalt principles themselves are important to crafting effective data visualization, I think the gestalt gaze is equally important. ![]() This basic example seems uncontroversial to the point that it might seem too facile. Hue and saturation are very bad at denoting quantitative values, but very good at denoting categories. This could have also utilized shared symbols (for instance leveraging d3.svg.symbol or the like) to show shared category or shared stroke color or width icons and so on. Here we see the use of color similarity to indicate two classes of elements: the red ones and the gray ones. The most intuitive gestalt principle is that graphical elements with shared visual properties will be considered in the same group.
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