classical research
What is mental imagery, and how is it used
It is a mental representation of stimuli that aren’t present
It can be used as visual stimuli and as auditory stimuli
and also how it is used...
Solving spatial problems
– How to arrange your new bedroom furniture
• Creativity
– Designing advertisements/signs
• Clinical psychology
– Phobias
• STEM disciplines
– Science, technology, engineering, mathematics
are mental images interfering with visual perception..
In this study, participants were asked to create a mental image (shape vs. sound), for example, by using the phrase "Think of a tree," and then presented the actual stimulus. Then, they used a Blue arrow to show participants the ability to detect an actual stimulus. The results showed that mental images interfered when they were in the same sensory modality, as in the above example. more difficult than if asked to imagine the sound of a horn and presented with a blue arrow (different modalities)
definition of auditory imagery
Producing a mental representation of a sound
– Ex. Imagine laughter, or a car horn
defintion of cognitive maps
Cognitive map = mental representation of
geographical information
– Relationship between objects
– Used for areas too large to be seen in a single
glance
how do we create cognitive maps?
Creating a cognitive map from descriptions or directions and integrating information from separate statements.
Practice with mental imagery can help us practice our brains for when we complete the actions
spatial visualization between genders..
the results were minimal. In both genders, they were finding hidden drawings of faces in a scene.
Pitch = characteristics of a sound stimulus that
can be arranged on scale from low to high
– Phone ring vs. thunder
Timbre = sound quality of a tone
– Flute vs. trumpet
definition of spatial cognition
larger area of cognition that refers to 3 cognitive activities
– Thoughts about cognitive maps
– How we remember the world we navigate
– How we keep track of objects in a spatial array
who created the spatial framework model?
this model emphasizes that the above-below spatial dimension is important in our thinking
Franklin and Tversky 1990
The propositional code approach is used for ...
Mental images stored in an abstract, language-like form that does not physically resemble the original stimulus (proposition code) • Similar to language
where was the gender similarity in this study of visual imagery..
Gender similarity (low effect sizes) found in:
– Verbal ability
– Math ability
results on pitch
Travel distance between two actual tones is correlated to distances between imagined tones
what is a heuristic and how do we use them?
A general problem-solving strategy that usually produces a correct solution, but not always. It is used as a Cognitive shortcut!
We use heuristics when estimating:
– Distances between locations
– The size of an angle on a map
– The severity of curves
– How much something was tilted or aligned
what is an example of the alignment heuristic ?
Europe is in line with the US and therefore, cities in Northern US is farther north than cities in southern Europe
A strong verbal code, such as “rabbit facing right,” can dominate an analog code. Normally, it's easy to reverse an image while you are looking at an ambiguous physical picture, but reversing a mental image is difficult
which gender had higher spatial ability..
Both genders are more pronounced in spatial ability. Spatial visualization = small- Finding hidden drawings of faces in a scene. Spatial perception = moderate- Adjusting an illuminated rod to vertical position. Mental Rotation = most considerable differences
results on timbre
Ratings were similar for timbre imagery and perception
Border bias, the research, results and what is it?
estimates are larger if on
different sides of a geographic border
• Research – Mishra & Mishra (2010)
– Choose between 2 vacation homes
• Oregon vs. Washington
– Earthquake OR vs. earthquake WA vs. None
• Results
– Same-category heuristic!
what is an example of a 90-degree-angle heuristic
example Intersections are exactly perpendicular
Which things did Reed study in his research on imagery and ambiguous figures?
Showed the PPTs this image, took it away, and only showed the 2nd image. Then asked, “Does it contain a parallelogram?” The results of this study showed that it was Correct only 14% of the time. If it had been stored as a visual image, would it have been a parallelogram? These implications were for this study: For complex mental images, we use verbal, propositional codes!
conclusion of mental images
Significant mental rotation of a visual image takes them longer
, just like it takes longer when making a substantial rotation with a physical stimulus
2. People similarly make distance judgments for mental images and physical stimuli
3. People similarly make decisions about shape for mental images and physical stimuli
• True for simple shapes (angles formed by hands on a clock) and complex shapes (geographic regions, like Colorado or West Virginia
is there research in auditory imagery..
Overall lack of research in this area
What other biases/heuristics?
Landmark effect = tendency to provide shorter
estimates when traveling to a landmark vs. a non
landmark and important locations seem closer
• 90-degree-angle heuristic = tendency to
“regularize” angles to 90 degrees
– Heuristic based on schemas of intersections
• Symmetry heuristic = tendency to remember
figures as more symmetrical than they really are
More Heuristics
• Rotation heuristic = figure that is slightly tilted
will be remembered as being either more vertical
or more horizontal that it really is
– Which is farther west, San Diego or Reno?
• Alignment heuristic = tendency to think a series
of separate geographical structures are more
lined up than they really are
what is the situated cognition approach?
This helps explain many cognitive tasks beyond mental imagery and cognitive maps. it gives us knowledge that depends on the surrounding context and What we know depends on the situation we are in