Reference-point errors
Metonymy and Human language
Human language example: The pitcher threw the ball to first base.
- Did the ball literally go to first base?
- How does the listener know where the ball actually went?
- How does the reference shift occur?
Metonymy and reference-point construction in programming
Assume that obj is a programming object with various attributes (e.g. name, color, shape). A programmer may want to write out the name of the object with this code:
write(obj)
But to write out the color, programmers naturally reference the color attribute:
write(obj.color)
Theory of how knowledge sources may apply to reference construction:
Reference-point errors and interaction design
Can reference-point errors occur interacting with visual user interfaces? Here's a possible example.