2.1 Cognition: Thinking Remembering

2.1 Cognition: Thinking & Remembering

Problem 5 – Imagine this.

Literature: Matlin; Reed

Imagery debate: Whether mental imagery resembles perception (analog code) or language (propositional code) more.

- Mental imagery: elusive, inaccessible

→ logic: if mental image is like the real object, then judgements must be the same Analog (depictive, pictorial representation) = representation similar to physical object

• Support
• Responses to mental images often similar to responses to physical objects
• Kosslyn et al. developed model with different subsystems (manipulate mental images)
• Visual imagery and perception have same subsystems
• E.g. shifting attention

 Imagine a cat. → *mental image* → “does it have curved claws?” → *attention to paws + zoom* Propositional code (descriptive representation) = abstract, language like (not natural language) representation; doesn´t resemble physical object

- Pylyshyn: images need a lot of mental storage space → pro propositional

Imagery and Rotation Shepard & Metzler´s Research

• Decide whether figure is same or different
• Measure amount of time

- Results: two- and three-dimensional same speed

• ↑rotation → ↑ time to match

Interesting findings:

- Elderly: ↑ time for rotation

• Practice has no influence on rotation speed
• Deaf people are fast at rotating 180°

- Rotation studies: much support for analog-coding approach

Imagery and Distance Kosslyn´s research (1978)

• Linear relationship between distance to be scanned in mental image and amount of time required to

scan the distance Imagery and Shape Paivio´s study (1978)

• Judgement about angles of clock hands (e.g. 7:20 and 5:25 or 7:05)
• Results: when physical objects differ → response is quicker (just like mental images)

Interference Visual – Audio

• Segal and Fusella´s study (1970) – imagin visual image of e.g. tree and auditory image of flute
• Detect another physical stimulus
• Result: problems detecting stimulus when image and signal was of same sensory mode

Motor imagery

• Difficulty doing physical motor task when thinking about doing other task

→ e.g. imagine volleyball serve while steering a car. → difficult to create motor image

• Wexler´s study (1998) -turn joystick in certain direction while judging whether image needs to be

turned left/right to match other item.

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