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We know that graphics in texts can be effective for learning, but we do not have much knowledge about how text comprehension interacts with graphics comprehension. Experiments have extensively investigated the effectiveness of pictures in promoting memory for factual information in texts. Cognitive psychologists have attempted to characterize the mental representation constructed during text comprehension. It is now generally agreed that understanding a text requires the construction of a referential representation of the meaning of the text : a situational model or a mental model. The purpose of this paper is to show that mental model theory can provide an account for the beneficial effect of illustrations in text comprehension. We first present a short survey of the works focusing on the role illustrations have on text memory and on text comprehension, and the mental model theory of text comprehension is presented. A survey of a series of experiments which show that understanding a text describing spatial environments leads to the construction of a spatial mental model are then presented. Finally, we present some recent works that show that pictures facilitate the construction of a mental model, even in domains of discourse that are not exclusively spatial.
