ABSTRACT

There are many instances in the world where objects or information are configured in such a way as to create unique, domain-specific patterns. For example, the configuration of contours on a geographical map (Gilhooly et al., 1988), the arrangement of lines of program code used in computer programming (Adelson, 1981), or the structures displayed in x-ray images used for medical diagnoses (Myles-Worsley et al., 1988; Sowden et al., 2000) are all situations where information is arranged, either naturally or somewhat artificially, into some form of structured and ordered pattern. In each of the aforementioned examples, highly experienced individuals have been shown to be superior to their less-skilled counterparts at recalling and/or recognizing the information contained within a pattern extracted from their domain of expertise (a perceptual skill typically referred to as “pattern perception”) (Adelson, 1981; Gilhooly et al., 1988; Myles-Worsley et al., 1988; Sowden et al., 2000; see also Chapter 2).