Processing text and pictures in procedural instructions

Abstract

Background. Following procedural instructions normally requires the learner to interpret written information before carrying out any action.This interpretation entails transforming pictorial and/or linguistic information into a series of actions. Current psychological models propose that these two kinds of information are not processed in the same way,and that pictures lead more directly to the construction of a mental representation than does text. If this is so, then giving pictorial instructions to carry out an action seems more appropriate than giving text.However, processing instructions sometimes fails, even with picture formats. One approach to studying why this kind of communication fails is to investigate how textual and pictorial information is processed.