Text and picture integration in comprehending and memorizing spatial descriptions.

Spatial processes are involved both in subjects' perception and motion in real-life environments, and in the comprehension of texts with spatial contents. Two experiments examined the effectiveness of pictures in supporting the comprehension of spatial text. Undergraduate students listened to the description of a town while either viewing an integrated picture, partial pictures of some landmarks, or no picture at all. Integrated pictures resulted in better comprehension especially in participants with a lower spatial working memory capacity. It is concluded that integrated pictures help low spatial ability individuals comprehend spatial relations that are explicit in the text. Integrated pictures also help any listener draw inferences about other, non specified spatial relations.