Visualizing the Mind

One of the key issues of scientific psychology is how to “visualize” its object of study, that is, mental processes. In fact, by definition, mental states are not directly observable. While a biologist can view a cell in a microscope, a psychologist cannot see the “shape” of mental objects but can only measure them in terms of (observable) variables. In this respect, a psychologist is more similar to a quantum physicist: both are confronted with the challenge of representing hypothetical entities, which need to be translated into numbers in order to become “real.” Identifying effective ways of visualizing psychological data is thus a relevant question, since it may contribute to improve the communication of research results and to make them more accessible to the general public.

Although data visualization has only recently been recognized as a distinct discipline, it has assumed a central importance in most scientific fields. Broadly defined, data visualization is concerned with defining effective ways of transforming and displaying data, information, and knowledge in order to take advantage of the interpretative capabilities of visual processing. The mission of this discipline is well-captured by the popular notion that “a picture is worth a thousand words.” One of the pioneers of modern data visualization is Edward R. Tufte, whose book The Visual Display of Quantitative Information (1983) is considered as a landmark in the field. ¹ According to Tufte, “what is to be sought in designs for the display of information is the clear portrayal of complexity. Not the complication of the simple; rather the task of the designer is to give visual access to the subtle and the difficult—that is, revelation of the complex.” ^{1 (p191)} Tufte identified the following principles to achieve such graphical excellence: “Graphical excellence is the well-designed presentation of interesting data—a matter of substance, of statistics, and of design … [it] consists of complex ideas communicated with clarity, precision and efficiency … [it] is that which gives to the viewer the greatest number of ideas in the shortest time with the least ink in the smallest space … [it] is nearly always multivariate … and graphical excellence requires telling the truth about the data.” ^{1 (p51)}

However, until now, psychology researchers have lagged in taking advantage of visualization tools. Yet, nowadays, the need for using data visualization in cognitive science is becoming even more compelling, due to the emergence of Big Data in the study of human behavior, enabled by the massive proliferation of digital technologies and social media.

There are, however, notable exceptions. For example, a recent project called The Atlas of Emotions (http://atlasofemotions.org/) has created a Web-based interactive tool to visualize, identify, and explore the range of states of each of the “basic” emotions. The project was inspired by a series of conversations between the Dalai Lama and renowned emotion researcher Dr. Paul Ekman about the science of emotions, and it was realized with the help of Ekman's daughter, Dr. Eve Ekman, and a data visualization design company.

The scientific basis for The Atlas of Emotions was a consensus study entitled “What Scientists Who Study Emotion Agree About,” which was published by Dr. Paul Ekman in the journal Perspectives on Psychological Science in 2015. ² The survey involved nearly 250 experts on the subject, resulting in five main emotions agreed on as universally expressed and experienced: anger, fear, disgust, sadness, and enjoyment. In the Atlas, each of these primary emotions is represented as a continent. The movement of the continents reflects how emotions vary in strength and frequency in people's lives. Each emotion contains a number of related states, which differ in intensity. The states of each emotion are shown in a graph using specific shapes, colors, and animations. As the Web site explains, the movement of the shapes reflects the dynamic nature of emotions—in other words, the way their intensity and frequency varies from moment to moment.

I believe that the Atlas of Emotions not only has a scientific and communication value, but also holds great potential as an educational tool. Indeed, I myself used the Atlas to introduce the study of emotions in a course on psychology, and most of my students found it enjoyable and easier to understand. What I personally like most in the Atlas is its unique combination of scientific rigor, creativity, and great interaction design, which hopefully will provide a useful inspiration for further data visualization project in the field of cognitive science.