A syntax-directed program that performs a three-dimensional perceptual task

摘要

A syntax-directed program that performs a three-dimensional perceptual task is described. The task, in a slightly simpler form, was used originally in a psychological study of mental rotation. (1) The task consists of determining whether two line drawings portray (different views of) identical objects, mirror image objects, or structurally different objects, where the objects are composed of linear strings of attached cubes. The program is syntax-directed in the sense that it uses a fixed set of syntactic rules to analyze the line drawings. This is the first use of formal syntactic techniques in the analysis of pictures (in this case, line drawings) of three-dimensional objects.