Observer properties for understanding dynamical displays: Capacities, limitations, and defaults

People's ability to extract relevant information while viewing ongoing events is discussed in terms of human capabilities, limitations, and defaults. A taxonomy of event complexity is developed which predicts which dynamical events people can and cannot construe. This taxonomy is related to the distinction drawn in classical mechanics between particle and extended body motions. People's commonsense understandings of simple mechanical systems are impacted little by formal training, but rather reflect heuristical simplifications that focus on a single dimension of perceived dynamical relevance.