Reading visual narratives across cultures

In this book, Cohn starts by questioning the widespread assumption that the meaning of sequential images is transparent and universally comprehended. He calls this idea Sequential Image Transparency Assumption (SITA) and suggests that it is probably derived from the intuitions of adults who are familiar with visual narratives. In contrast, it is generally agreed that verbal languages need to be learned for understanding and communication to occur. Cohn argues that the cognitive processes involved in “creating and understanding graphic images, particularly those in sequence” are analogous to verbal cognitive processes and sets out to test the extent to which the theory is upheld or contradicted by experimental and data-driven research. Finally, Cohn considers extensive literature involving sequential visual reading tasks that show that sequential reading fluency is also acquired through practice and the interpretation of visual narratives varies depending on cognitive and cultural factors.