Mental Imagery
What is mental imagery?
mental representation of stimuli when those stimuli are not physically present in the environment
What is the imagery debate?
Do our mental images resemble perception or do they resemble language?
What factors influence visual memory?
Distance, shapes, gender
What are the components of general knowledge?
Semantic memory and schemas
What are the two types of mental imagery?
Auditory imagery and visual imagery
Analog approach and propositional approach
T or F: Are distance judgements made in a similar manner for mental images and physical stimuli
True
What is semantic memory?
organized knowledge about the world
What do we use mental imagery for?
Solving spatial skills, creativity, clinical psychology, STEM disciples
we create a mental image of an object that closely resembles the actual, perceptual image on our retina
Can mental images interefere with visual perception?
Research found mental imagery interfered when it was in the same sensory modality
What does semantic memory include?
general knowledge, lexical or language knowledge, and conceptual knowledge
What is the difference between perception and imagery?
Imagery is not directly observable, nothing is actually being sensed in your environment
Propositional-code approach
mental images are stored in an abstract, language like form that does not physically resemble the original stimulus
What were gender differences and similarities among visual imagery?
Similar: verbal and math ability
Different: Spatial ability
What are schemas?
general knowledge about a situation, event, or a person
If a mental image resembles a physical object then,
What approach does the mental rotation research support and why?
Analog approach because it takes longer to perform a large rotation than a small one thus activating visual properties of objects.
T OR F: Small mental rotation of visual images takes longer
False; large
Why are schemas important?
They help to predict what will happen in a new situation