Graphics Reference
In-Depth Information
Level 4:
Describes abstractions, for instance, life,
beauty, love, time, success, power, happiness,
faith, hope, charity, evil, good.
for example in science, increases cognitive load
related to the working memory we possess and
may cause communication problems.
Representational vs. Abstract
Images in Graphics and Art Works
Abstraction ladders on four levels can be ap-
plied to several areas of life, like the three examples
shown below, which are applied to the:
In terms of cognitive thinking we can examine an
image as a representation of what is seen, a record
of an object or scene produced in the mind. The
image can be also understood as the mental picture
evoked by words or experiences, many times a
vivid or concrete picture. It may be also a picto-
rial phrase used to express some abstract notion,
thus the concept of imagery may refer to figura-
tive language, particularly metaphor and simile.
In a metaphor (which means in Greek “to carry
over”), a feature of an object or a word belonging
to a particular object is applied to another thing,
concept, or idea. Metaphor is a means to increase
a range of the concept. It is often easier to grasp
concepts when they are expressed by analogy with
a concrete thing. Many words, such as a leg of a
table or a hood of a car are metaphors. Metaphors
are also used as the whole sentences, for example,
“It rains cats and dogs” that was first recorded as
used in 1738 by the Anglo-Irish satirist and writer
Jonathan Swift (1667-1745).
Drawings and graphics can become instru-
ments of thinking. Images, symbols, and words
lie along a continuum from concrete and repre-
sentational to highly abstract ones. Understanding
of the structured thought requires the ability to
perform abstract thinking and to apply problem
solving. This may involve performing the problem
finding, logically defining one's goal, and mak-
ing conclusions. Drawing in abstract way may
refer to any simplification or ideation of form,
for example, when achieved by converting it into
regular, geometric form. One of the ways to distill
essential elements to be a revealed in an artwork
is in transforming an exact realistic representation
into an abstract work that has no model in nature
•
Society:
Level 1 - my sister, Tracy; level
2 - spoiled child; level 3 - most people;
level 4 - society,
•
Human Endeavors:
Level 1 - Max Factor,
Inc., level 2 - cosmetic company; level 3 -
industries; level 4 - human endeavors,
•
Economy:
Level 1 - Bessie the cow; level
2 - cattle; level 3 - farm assets; level 4 -
economy (Chung, 2012).
The power of abstract thought was further
examined in the eighties, to reveal the relevance
of reasoning performance to chronological matura-
tion. To improve the reasoning processes required
understanding the abstract relationships Causey
introduced as early as in 1987 interactive computer
programs that simulated abstract relationships and
required students to use inductive reasoning at
the courses on philosophy of science delivered at
college level. Student development in art is more
related to transaction processes than to chronologi-
cal age. A positive impact of the modified methods
of teaching chemistry with the use of diagrams
and explanation sheets was reported, for the high
school students functioning at the concrete opera-
tions stage of cognitive development; there were
46 percent of concrete level students, as measured
with the Arlin Test of Formal Reasoning (Boyd,
1989). In philosophy concepts can be formed by
their abstraction from a set of common features
in individuals. In ontological terms one can say
about abstract relations or properties when they
do not exist in particular space or time but there
may be instances they exist in many different times
and spaces. However, teaching abstract concepts,
