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The Benefits of Drawing and Describing for Recognizing Object Images

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Bibliographic Details
Title: The Benefits of Drawing and Describing for Recognizing Object Images
Language: English
Authors: Anna McCarter (ORCID 0000-0002-1107-2494), Jeffrey Starns
Source: Applied Cognitive Psychology. 2026 40(1).
Availability: Wiley. Available from: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030. Tel: 800-835-6770; e-mail: cs-journals@wiley.com; Web site: https://www.wiley.com/en-us
Peer Reviewed: Y
Page Count: 16
Publication Date: 2026
Document Type: Journal Articles
Reports - Research
Descriptors: Recognition (Psychology), Memory, Cognitive Tests, Visualization, Freehand Drawing, Accuracy, Visual Perception
DOI: 10.1002/acp.70167
ISSN: 0888-4080
1099-0720
Abstract: Drawing is beneficial for learning verbal materials, potentially because it allows for a secondary representation (visual). When learning visual materials, describing would create a secondary representation (verbal). This project investigated the relative benefits of drawing and describing when learning visual materials for a recognition memory test. In Experiment 1, participants learned images through drawing, describing, or viewing followed by an old/new recognition test. Drawing and describing both led to considerably better recognition accuracy compared with simply viewing. In Experiment 2, participants learned images through drawing, describing, tracing, or viewing and then had a three-alternative forced-choice task to test detailed aspects of their object memory. Drawing, describing, and tracing led to considerably better recognition accuracy than viewing, with drawing and describing leading to superior performance compared with tracing. Overall, both drawing and describing are excellent strategies for subsequent object recognition.
Abstractor: As Provided
Entry Date: 2026
Accession Number: EJ1497490
Database: ERIC
FullText Text:
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  Data: The Benefits of Drawing and Describing for Recognizing Object Images
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Anna+McCarter%22">Anna McCarter</searchLink> (ORCID <externalLink term="https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1107-2494">0000-0002-1107-2494</externalLink>)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Jeffrey+Starns%22">Jeffrey Starns</searchLink>
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  Data: Wiley. Available from: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030. Tel: 800-835-6770; e-mail: cs-journals@wiley.com; Web site: https://www.wiley.com/en-us
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  Data: Drawing is beneficial for learning verbal materials, potentially because it allows for a secondary representation (visual). When learning visual materials, describing would create a secondary representation (verbal). This project investigated the relative benefits of drawing and describing when learning visual materials for a recognition memory test. In Experiment 1, participants learned images through drawing, describing, or viewing followed by an old/new recognition test. Drawing and describing both led to considerably better recognition accuracy compared with simply viewing. In Experiment 2, participants learned images through drawing, describing, tracing, or viewing and then had a three-alternative forced-choice task to test detailed aspects of their object memory. Drawing, describing, and tracing led to considerably better recognition accuracy than viewing, with drawing and describing leading to superior performance compared with tracing. Overall, both drawing and describing are excellent strategies for subsequent object recognition.
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  Data: EJ1497490
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