Mental Imagery Flashcards
What is mental imagery?
Processing of perceptual-like information in absence of external source for the perceptual information
Verbal vs Visual Imagery
Santa (1977). Present study array of either geometric shapes or words. Then present test array of same configuration or linear configuration. For geometric: RT of same config < RT for linear. For verbal, vice versa. Suggests participants create “face-like” visual of geometric shapes and verbal rehearsals in linear form separately
Mental Imagery Debate
Perceptual/analog (Kosslyn) vs propositional (Pylyshyn)
Mental Rotation
Shepard (1971). Determine if 2D representation of 3D objects were identical. Linear result: higher degree rotation, higher RT.
Spatial tasks performed as if picture representation manipulated
Visual imagery vs Visual perception
Ponzo Illusion: high imagery yield same result of horizontal line length as actual perception
Duck-rabbit illusion: flashed image, one interpretation from imagery; asked to reproduce, can make second interpretation from picture
Activation of same brain regions
Analog Representation
Spatial relationships of item preserved in representation
Adv: complete spatial knowledge
Dis: abstract
Propositional representation
Representation in symbols or rules
Adv: declarative knowledge easily accessible
Dis: areas recall depend on time
Image Scanning
Kosslyn (1978). Map with items spread across different lengths. Analog = picture, propositional = objective measurement of distance
Result: RT increases with distance (suggest analog)
Route map
Path that indicates specific plaes but contains no 2D information. Can be verbal, linear, step by step directions (action info)
Survey map
Spatial image of environment (space info)
Egocentric representation of space
Space as we see it, relative to us. Rotate map to their point of view. Failure to do so result in misdirection.
Allocentric representation of space
Objective representation of objects and relations. Activated by hippocampus
Structure-process tradeoffs
Criticism on imagery argument: behavioral data alone does not deny any process that can confirm structure. For any structure, can outline process to fill shortcomings.
Hierarchical space representation
Superordinate structure is responsible for hierarchy effects. Congruent superordinate yields higher accuracy than incongruent. Helpful to spatial representation, similar to illusion. Systematic error when organization structure conflicts with structure of imagery
