What Makes an Effective Representation of Information: A Formal Account of Observational Advantages
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Publication Date
2017-06-01Journal Title
Journal of Logic, Language and Information
ISSN
0925-8531
Publisher
Springer
Volume
26
Issue
2
Pages
143-177
Language
English
Type
Article
This Version
AM
Metadata
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Stapleton, G., Jamnik, M., & Shimojima, A. (2017). What Makes an Effective Representation of Information: A Formal Account of Observational Advantages. Journal of Logic, Language and Information, 26 (2), 143-177. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10849-017-9250-6
Abstract
In order to effectively communicate information, the choice of representation is important. Ideally, a chosen representation will aid readers in making desired inferences. In this paper, we develop the theory of observation: what it means for one statement to be observable from another. Using observability, we give a formal characterization of the observational advantages of one representation of information over another. By considering observational advantages, people will be able to make better informed choices of representations of information. To demonstrate the benefit of observation and observational advantages, we apply these concepts to set theory and Euler diagrams. In particular, we can show that Euler diagrams have significant observational advantages over set theory. This formally justifies Larkin and Simon’s claim that “a diagram is (sometimes) worth ten thousand words”.
Keywords
observation, free rides, inference, Euler diagrams, set theory
Sponsorship
Leverhulme Trust (RPG-2016-082)
Identifiers
External DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10849-017-9250-6
This record's URL: https://www.repository.cam.ac.uk/handle/1810/264983
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