Mental imagery and representation
Mental Imagery
When you create a picture, sound, or sensation in your mind even though it is not actually present
Timbre
the quality of a sound that makes different instruments sound different
What is a Heuristic?
it is a mental shortcut people use to solve problems or make decisions quickly
Symmetry heuristic
People remember shapes as more symmetrical as they really are
What do we use mental imagery for?
We use mental imagery to solve spatial problems, be creative, help treat phobias in clinical psychology, and support work in STEM fields.
Pitch
How high or low a sound is
Does heuristics always produce a correct solution?
Nope not really
Rotation heuristic
How are visual images stored?
Analog coding
information is stored in the mind as picture-like images that resemble a real object
Border Bias
a heuristic where people estimate distances as farther when two locations are on different sides of a geographic border
Alignment Heuristic
Your brain mentally lines things up so they look organized, even when they are not actually aligned
Analog approach
says that mental images are stored in the brain like pictures that resemble a real object
Cognitive map
a mental picture of a place that helps you know where things are and how to get around
Landmark effect
to think a distance is shorter when traveling to a more important place than to a less important place
Propositional code approach
says that mental images are stored as abstract, language like descriptions instead of pictures
Spatial framework model
explains how we organize spatial information in our mind.
90 degree angle heuristic
the tendency to remember angles on maps as closer to 90 (a right angle) than they really are