A Relational Reasoning Approach to Text-Graphic Processing

We propose that research on text-graphic processing could be strengthened by the inclusion of relational reasoning perspectives. We briefly outline four aspects of relational reasoning: analogies, anomalies, antinomies, and antitheses. Next, we illustrate how text-graphic researchers have been conducting research aligned with aspects of relational reasoning, although not deliberately. We call for future research on intentionally designed text-graphic pairings that should be empirically tested for their ability to support relational reasoning. Finally, we argue that relational reasoning may help explain some of the mixed results and unintended outcomes that often appear in the text-graphic research literature.