Bailey Zo Kreager
Northern Illinois University, Dept. of Geology and Environmental Geosciences, Davis
Hall 312, Normal Road, DeKalb, Illinois 60115, USA
Nicole D. LaDue
Northern Illinois University, Dept. of Geology and Environmental Geosciences, Davis
Hall 312, Normal Road, DeKalb, Illinois 60115, USA
Seeing Like a Geologist, Measuring Like a Psychologist
Frame of reference is vital to the interpretation of geologic data (e.g., plate motion), strike
and dip, navigation, and visualization with diagrams and outcrops (Kastens and Ishikawa, 2006;
Groom et al., 2015). For example, when viewing a map of plate motion relative to the United
States, you will observe a different pattern than a map of absolute plate motion (Groom et al.,
2015). Geologists use frame-of-reference thinking when interpreting geologic scenes, such as
examining structural changes (i.e., fault movement) within an outcrop. Presently, there is a
lack of empirical data to understand the impact of frame of reference in the geosciences. This
study offers preliminary data on the impact of geologic expertise on frame-of-reference thinking
with and without geologic context.
Manuscript received 25 Oct. 2019. Revised manuscript received 14 Feb. 2020.
Manuscript accepted 27 Mar. 2020. Posted 1 May 2020.
https://doi.org/10.1130/GSATG423GW.1
© 2020, The Geological Society of America. CC-BY-NC.