Re: 7 plus or minus 2

Subject: Re: 7 plus or minus 2
From: Dan BRINEGAR <vr2link -at- VR2LINK -dot- COM>
Date: Tue, 29 Jul 1997 08:39:24 -0700

Geoff Hart <geoff-h -at- MTL -dot- FERIC -dot- CA> asked:
>has anyone actually tested
> Miller's research to confirm that it applies in the context
> of technical writing?

Robert Horn, founder of Information Mapping, claims IM, Inc. has done
extensive research in this area (the context of technical writing).

As I recall, the best description of the research comes in _Strategies for
Producting High-Performance Documentation_ (my copy of which walked away at
some point over the last several years).

I still have _Mapping Hypertext_ (Lexington Press, 1989), though, and he
touches on the research there on pp 218 - 221.

> I've seen several mentions of George Miller's "7 plus or
> minus 2 rule" to justify chunking information into 5-9
> pieces, but this leads me to ask one crucial question that
> I've never seen answered:

-------------------------------------------------------------
Dan Brinegar Information Developer/Research Droid/Mac Guy
http://www.vr2link.com

Who was it that said:
"I believe the only way to get the scale of change we really need is
to focus on educating citizens so they have the principles,
the framework and the tools necessary to effect change on their own."

vr2link -at- vr2link -dot- com -- CCDB Vr2Link
Performance S u p p o r t Svcs.

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