Three monkeys or one?: Continuity in the monkey emoji debate

In the three emoji sequence of , people differ in their interpretation of whether there are three different monkeys or one monkey changing postures. Such disagreements point to a key issue in visual meaning-making: how do people determine when multiple visual units refer to the same entity? The present study investigated which cues guide people's interpretation of continuity and co-reference in short emoji sequences. Participants viewed sequences of three emoji that either suggested a specific order or not, with variations in whether they belonged to the same superordinate semantic category and/or shared similar colors. Results showed participants were more likely to construct continuity for sequences suggesting a sequential order than unordered sequences, with faster judgements. They were also more likely to construe co-reference across emoji in a sequence when they belonged to the same superordinate semantic category or shared similar colors. These findings indicate that principles governing visual sequencing extend beyond more complex visual narratives such as comics or picture stories. Besides offering perspective on why emoji sequences can yield different interpretations, this study also contributes to broader discussions about how co-reference is construed across modalities.