在圖像的認知過程當中，往往牽涉到短期記憶與長期記憶。短期記憶的記憶容量，一般一次約在四到六項之間，也因此，地圖的製作過程當中常會透過簡化來達成視覺傳播效果。然而近廿年來，遙測影像逐漸成為詳細表達地面資料的工具，資訊量超出地圖很多，而取代地圖某些功能。本研究特以時間作為界檻值，以相同地區三張分類過的遙測影像與三張簡化過的地圖作為實驗素材，對25歲以下的年輕人進行實驗。結果發現同樣分成四種色彩的簡化地圖比分類影像平均快了10秒被正確判別；而分六種色彩者，則快了約20秒被正確判別；兩者間之視覺效果確實存在顯著差異(p=0.000)。結果也顯示，男女認知差別並不顯著。足見簡化過的地圖之視覺效果確實優於分類影像，同時分類項目越多時，此一效應越明顯(p=0.0019)，地圖確實需要簡化以及地圖閱讀不會造成男女認知顯著差異的兩個假設，於本實驗中均獲成立。
During the process of graph perception, short-term memory and long-term memory were involved. While the capacity of short-term memory was about 4-6 items at one time. Therefore, generalization was applied in mapmaking process to reach the visual communication effects. From the two decades, remote sensed images were employed to show the detail ground truth, they even replace some functions of maps. Under the hypothesis that generalization is required during mapmaking process, three classified images and three generalized maps were selected to compare their visual effect in this research. The results reveal the communicate speed in four colors maps was 10 seconds faster than in the images; in six colors maps was 20 seconds faster than in the images. The visual effect difference was significant between images and maps (p=0.000). Also, the more colors the more effective (p=0.019). Both hypotheses that generalization was required during mapmaking process and gender difference was not significant were approved in this study.
