Visual Information Chunking in Spreadsheet Calculation

Abstract Spreadsheet calculation causes a heavy memory load, since it is necessary to remember complex cell and calculation systems. A series of experiments were carried out to study the role of visual information chunking in spreadsheet calculation. The experiments showed that a possibility to visual information chunking substantially decreases the memory load caused by spreadsheet calculation. If subjects are able to induce the structure of a formula or a network of connected formulas, they usually learn it fast. The surface structure of a formula may cause subjects essential difficulties in chunking. Badly ordered formula networks, in which cell layers are embedded within each other and references cross each other, are difficult to learn and remember. Subjects are not able to abstract the deep structure and encode formula networks.

[1]  John D. Gould,et al.  An experimental study of people creating spreadsheets , 1987, TOIS.

[2]  Pertti Saariluoma.  Coding problem spaces in chess , 1984 .

[3]  E. Howe,et al.  Effects of Partial Symmetry, Exposure Time, and Backward Masking on Judged Goodness and Reproduction of Visual Patterns , 1980, The Quarterly journal of experimental psychology.

[4]  H. Simon,et al.  Why are some problems hard? Evidence from Tower of Hanoi , 1985, Cognitive Psychology.

[5]  John Millar Carroll,et al.  Presentation and Representation in Design Problem Solving. , 1980 .

[6]  Solomon E. Asch,et al.  Perceptual conditions of association. , 1960 .

[7]  J. Reitman,et al.  Knowledge organization and skill differences in computer programmers , 1981, Cognitive Psychology.

[8]  Herbert A Simon,et al.  The understanding process: Problem isomorphs , 1976, Cognitive Psychology.

[9]  P C Wason,et al.  Reasoning about a Rule , 1968, The Quarterly journal of experimental psychology.

[10]  S. Palmer.  Hierarchical structure in perceptual representation , 1977, Cognitive Psychology.

[11]  H. Simon,et al.  The mind's eye in chess. , 1973 .

[12]  R. E. Parker,et al.  Memory for descriptive and spatial information in complex pictures. , 1976, Journal of experimental psychology. Human learning and memory.

[13]  I. Al-Issa,et al.  Problems in the cross-cultural study of schizophrenia. , 1969, The Journal of psychology.