Because understanding pictures is a significant aid to readers, this paper explores research on picture interpretation. The paper describes the complexity of the process and states that the ability to interpret pictures seems to proceed from the simple to the complex: from concrete experiences with pictures to the abstract interpretation of…

Three experiments using the same overall design were conducted to address problems associated with repeated measurement designs employed to assess retention of information in complex pictures and to assess the developmental course of schemata-guided retention efforts. Forty-eight subjects, ages 6, 10, and 20 years, were shown scenes whose forms…