Graphical representation in graphical dialogue

This paper explores the influence of communicative interaction on the form of graphical representations. A referential communication task is described which involves exclusively graphical dialogue. In this task subjects communicate about pieces of music by drawing. The drawings produced fall into two basic types: Abstract and Figurative. Three hypotheses are developed about the factors influencing the use of these drawing types: efficiency of production, suitability for the task and level of communicative interaction. Experimental evidence is presented which indicates that the drawing types do not differ in the amount of effort required to produce them. The results indicate that (1) Abstract drawings are more effective than Figurative drawings for comparative tasks and (2) a key constraint on their use is level of direct communicative interaction. It is argued that these observations result from differences in the underlying semantic models of music associated with the drawing types and the consequences these differences have for communicative coordination. # 2002 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.