pictorial realism

a design principle holding that images on a visual display should match the mental model of the viewer. For example, in machine design, a fluid-level indicator that communicates changing levels by moving a fluid-level image up and down has pictorial realism; the viewer knows exactly what the image is communicating. In contrast, a fluid-level indicator that moves left to right is not designed on this basis and is likely to be less effective.

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Psychology term of the day

November 25th 2024

gender constancy

a child’s emerging sense of the permanence of being a boy or a girl, an understanding that occurs in a series of stages: gender identity, gender stability, and gender consistency.