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Mental imagery Flashcards

1
Q

Mental Imagery

A

Ability to mentally recreate perceptual experience in the absence of a sensory stimulus.
or
Perception, without sensation.

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2
Q

Something that can be done by mental imagery, but not sensory perception

A

Creating mental images of stimuli that we have never experienced.

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3
Q

Dual-Coding Theory

A

Human knowledge is represented in two separate systems:
1.Non-Verbal Modality-specific system
2. Verbal system

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4
Q

Non-Verbal Modality-specific system (dual coding theory)

A
  • based on sensory-motor information
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5
Q

Analog representation in the non-verbal modality-specific system (dual coding theory)

A

Images resemble the real object : they keep the specific perceptual features of the stimulus they represent.

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6
Q

Verbal system (dual-coding theory)

A

Symbolic system, Abstract (Language system)
E.g. word apple/pomme does not look like an apple

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7
Q

Depictive Representation Terms

A
  • Non-Verbal Representation
  • Analog Representation
  • Depictive
  • Modal
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8
Q

Depictive representations which maintain ______ features of a stimulus

A

Perceptual

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9
Q

Descriptive Representation Terms

A
  • Abstract-Code Terms
  • Verbal Representation
  • Propositional Representation
  • Descriptive
  • Amodal
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10
Q

Representations which have no direct connection to the features of a stimulus

A

Descriptive representations

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11
Q

The Imagery Debate

A

What format does imagery take in our minds?

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12
Q

According to Kosslyn, images are _____ representations that maintain perceptual object characteristics

A

Depictive

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13
Q

According to Pylyshyn, images are stored as …

A

Abstract conceptual information that do not resemble the real world (descriptive representations)

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14
Q

Epiphenomenon

A

A mere by-product of a process that has no effect on the process itself

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15
Q

This view of mental imagery states that the subjective experience of mental imagery is just epiphenomena

A

Pylyshyn’s descriptive processing

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16
Q

In descriptive processing, knowledge is represented ________, via the manipulating of cognitive symbols

A

Propositionally

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17
Q

In descriptive processing, ______ codes are the only requirement for thought

A

Propositional

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18
Q

Propositions

A
  1. Can be verified as true or false
  2. Can be used to describe relationships between items
    E.g. the chair is to the right of the cat
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19
Q

If images are _______ , then people should process images and physical stimuli similarly

A

Depictive

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20
Q

If images are descriptive, then mental processing would depend on the. …. instead of perceptual &spatial characteristics of stimuli.

A

Number of propositions

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21
Q

Mental scanning (Kosslyn) evidence for depictive representation

A
  • Participants learned a map with landmarks
  • The number of propositions stayed constant, but the distance between landmarks varied
  • Participants were asked to scan the mental image until they arrived to a given landmark
    Result : The time it took to mentally travel across landmarks increased with the “distance”
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22
Q

If mental rotation is similar to the rotation of real objects, it will take individuals longer to mentally rotate a … compared to a …

A

Greater angular distance will take more time to rotate than smaller angular distance

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23
Q

Mental rotation evidence for depictive representation

A

Participants saw two 3-D shapes…
o Are these the same or different shapes?
o In some trials, shapes were the same but had been rotated on the vertical axis
o Others were different shapes
Results :
Linear relationship between amount of rotation of one of the shapes and reaction time for participants to identify whether the shapes were the same or different

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24
Q

Kosslyn mental scaling evidence for depictive representation

A

Participants imagined animals standing next to an elephant or a fly
* Asked questions about the intermediary animal (e.g., does this cat have claws)
* Participants answered slower when the intermediary animal was paired with the elephant because they needed to mentally “zoom ing”
Same result with “elephant-sized fly” and “fly sized elephant”

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25
Evidence that imagery and perception utilize similar cognitive systems : lemon image task
- Asked to imagine and describe lemon - Simultaneously participants were shown a very dim image of the same item Results : Participant mental images matched features of the projection even if they reported not consciously perceiving the image
26
Evidence that imagery and perception utilize similar cognitive systems : sound and visual image task
Participants were told they would... See a picture of a blue arrow, hear a note from a harmonica, or nothing at all (stimuli was at low intensity to make detection difficult) Task: Indicate what stimulus was presented while either imagining... A tree or a telephone ring Results : - Detection rates for the visual stimulus were lower when imagining a tree. - Detection rates for the auditory stimulus were lower when imagining a phone ring. If imagery uses the same mechanisms as perception, imagining a stimulus would ‘use up’ resources, decreasing detection. (Participants had no difficulty identifying stimulus when imagining a different sensory modality (e.g. detecting sound while imagining tree))
27
Interference from the same modality
- Visual mental imagery interferes with visual perception if the items don't match - Auditory mental imagery interferes with auditory perception if the items don't match
28
How imagery can also facilitate perception (Farah 1985)
Told to imagine the letter T or H Stimulus T or H was shown Result : Participants faster to detect the letter if it matched the imagined one Participants slower to detect the letter if mismatch with imagined letter
29
Motion aftereffects
When sensory stimulation leads to perceptual overcompensation leading to the illusion motion in the opposite direction
30
Winawer et al., (2010) mental imagery motion aftereffects
Motion afteraffects after participants imagined motion in a single direction for 60 seconds : suggests that mental imagery activated the same visual processing neuron
31
Reed evidence for descriptive representation
Participants were shown an image made up of many shapes Asked if a particular shape was in original image If mental images are depictive, they should easily be able to indicate if new shapes were part of the original from memory. Result : Participants were innacurate for certain shapes According to Reed this is because they were giving verbal labels to objects, instead of storing spatial characteristics
32
Experimenter Expectancy
Researchers inadvertently convey the anticipated results of the experiment to participants, altering behavior
33
Demand Characteristics
Participants form an interpretation of the researcher's purpose and subconsciously change their behavior.
34
Pylyshyn's critic to Kosslyn's descriptive mental imagery evidence
Since participant performance in experiments on depictive representation varied depending on task details, Kosslyn’s results only support their theory because that is what participants thought they were supposed to do.
35
Intons-Peterson, 1983 demonstrated that experimenter ______ can directly influence participant responses on imagery experiments
Expectations
36
Neuroimaging results tend to support shared mechanisms between _______ and imagery
Perception
37
Kosslyn (1999) PET & TMS experiment
- Recorded cell activity in the primary visual cortex (V1) o Participants memorized pictures of black and white stripes. o Answered questions about the lines by visualizing the drawings. - Demonstrated that viewing and imagining the stripes both activated V1 (PET), and that participants were less accurate when V1 cells were disrupted (TMS) : causality
38
O’Craven & Kanwisher (2000) Is activity in the fusiform face are (FFA) and parahippocampal place area (PPA) similar in imagery vs perceptual tasks?
Participants were shown famous faces and familiar buildings while in an fMRI machine. Results: o FFA showed greater activity when viewing and imagining faces (vs buildings). o PPA showed greater activity when viewing and imagining buildings (vs faces). o Could determine if someone was viewing a face or building from brain activity. Suggests shared areas of perception and imagery
39
What distinguishes imagery and perception?
Perception: higher-level brain areas (PFC) send top-down signals to perceptual processing areas. Imagery: a re-enacted perceptual experience where the same neurons are activated by frontal brain areas instead of a stimulus
40
Brain areas involved in ... showed the most similarity in visual perception and imagery tasks (front of brain).
Planning, cognitive control, attention, and memory
41
There is limited similarity in in activity in ... for the same imagery and perception tasks, considering no visual stimulus is present during imagery task.
V1
42
Patient TC brain damage
Had damage to the occipital & temporal lobes (both important for visual perception) Suffered from cortical blindness.
43
Patient TC symptoms
- Inability to distinguish light from dark. - Lack of head movements and blinking when observing objects in motion. - Loss of conscious vision AND loss of mental imagery. - Could not visually describe familiar places, tasks, or objects. Overall : deficits in both perception and imagery, which suggests they are connected in the brain
44
Patient PB brain damage
Had damage to the occipital lobe. Suffered from cortical blindness like TC.
45
Patient PB symptom
With only occipital damage, could perform visual imagery task unlike T.C (temporal and occipital damage)
46
Madam D brain damage
Damage to occipital & temporal lobes.
47
Madam D symptoms
- Color blindness. - Could copy drawings but was not able to read or recognize objects or faces. - Still able to perform mental imagery task
48
Madam D imagery facilitation of perception
If she could not recognize an object at her home, she would visualize it to help her identify items.
49
The opposite of Madam D's case is also possible : to lose _____ abilities but keep _____ abilities
Lose imagery, keep perception
50
Mental health and imagery study
Participants listened to short descriptions of possible events with positive and negative outcomes. Imagery group: Imagine visual images of the scenario Meaning group: Focus on the meaning of the words Result : Negative imagery groups had higher immediate anxiety
51
Anxiety Disorders
- Intense, persistent, and excessive worrying that interferes with daily life - increase of negative imagery of future events, potentially increasing anxiety.
52
Depressive Disorders
- Persistent feelings of sadness, frequently accompanied by a loss of interest. - Associated with an increase of negative imagery, specifically suicidal ideation, and with a decrease in positive imagery.
53
Imagery and Treating PTSD, Anxiety, and Depression Imagery Rescripting
Patients are guided through memories of past negative events. oThey then imagine themselves acting the way they wish they could have during the event. o Example: protecting their younger selves or others o The goal is to replace negative memories with positive ones - Imagery rescripting has successfully been used to treat mental heath disorder, particularly PTSD
54
Aphantasia
No ability to form mental images
55
Brain of patient MX with aphantasia
fMRI showed his visual cortex and fusiform gyrus were inhibited
56
Hyperphantasia
Extremely vivid visual imagery.
57
Mental imagery and professional occupation
- Those with aphantasia are more likely to become mathematicians and scientists - Those with hyperaphantasia are more likely to occupy a creative profession
58
Information in the brain is probably represented in a combination of ______ and ______ codes
Depictive and descriptive
59
concreteness effect
concrete words (like flag, pen, and chair) are remembered better than abstract words (like belief, luck, and anxiety) because concrete words generate a visual representation and the analog code.
60
interfering with ... removed the benefit of concrete words over abstract words in memory.
the ability to create visual images (e.g. by showing dynamic visual noise )

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