Four experiments demonstrated that more time is required to scan further distances across visual images, even when the same amount of material falls between the initial focus point and the target. Times systematically increased with distance, and larger images required more time to scan than smaller ones. When subjects were not asked to base judgments on image examination, distance did not affect reaction times. These findings suggest that images preserve metric spatial information, and that scanning involves processing a spatial image rather than a list structure. In Experiment 1, participants scanned visual images of letters and classified them as uppercase or lowercase. Reaction times increased with both distance and number of intervening items, but there was no interaction between the two variables. This suggests that scanning time is influenced by both distance and the number of items scanned, but not by their interaction. In Experiment 2, participants scanned distances on a map, and reaction times increased with distance. This supports the idea that images preserve metric spatial information. The results showed that scanning times were linearly related to distance, and that images are quasi-pictorial entities that can be processed. In Experiment 3, participants were asked to scan distances on a map, and reaction times increased with distance. This suggests that scanning involves processing a spatial image rather than a list structure. The results showed that when participants were not required to base decisions on their images, reaction times did not increase with distance. In Experiment 4, participants scanned schematic faces of different sizes, and reaction times increased with distance. This supports the idea that images preserve metric spatial information. The results showed that scanning times were influenced by both distance and the size of the image, but not by their interaction. The results of these experiments suggest that images preserve metric spatial information, and that scanning involves processing a spatial image rather than a list structure. The findings support the claim that images are quasi-pictorial entities that can be processed, and that spatial relations between parts of an image are preserved. The results also suggest that distance affects scanning time when people actually scan their images, but not when they use nonimaginal list structures.Four experiments demonstrated that more time is required to scan further distances across visual images, even when the same amount of material falls between the initial focus point and the target. Times systematically increased with distance, and larger images required more time to scan than smaller ones. When subjects were not asked to base judgments on image examination, distance did not affect reaction times. These findings suggest that images preserve metric spatial information, and that scanning involves processing a spatial image rather than a list structure. In Experiment 1, participants scanned visual images of letters and classified them as uppercase or lowercase. Reaction times increased with both distance and number of intervening items, but there was no interaction between the two variables. This suggests that scanning time is influenced by both distance and the number of items scanned, but not by their interaction. In Experiment 2, participants scanned distances on a map, and reaction times increased with distance. This supports the idea that images preserve metric spatial information. The results showed that scanning times were linearly related to distance, and that images are quasi-pictorial entities that can be processed. In Experiment 3, participants were asked to scan distances on a map, and reaction times increased with distance. This suggests that scanning involves processing a spatial image rather than a list structure. The results showed that when participants were not required to base decisions on their images, reaction times did not increase with distance. In Experiment 4, participants scanned schematic faces of different sizes, and reaction times increased with distance. This supports the idea that images preserve metric spatial information. The results showed that scanning times were influenced by both distance and the size of the image, but not by their interaction. The results of these experiments suggest that images preserve metric spatial information, and that scanning involves processing a spatial image rather than a list structure. The findings support the claim that images are quasi-pictorial entities that can be processed, and that spatial relations between parts of an image are preserved. The results also suggest that distance affects scanning time when people actually scan their images, but not when they use nonimaginal list structures.