Mental Imagery Flashcards
Imagery
The mental representation of things that cannot be currently seen or felt
The imagery debate is about ____
whether our mental images resemble perception (analogue) or language (symbolic)
Analogue code approach
Mental imagery is related to perception. Physical characteristics are registered in your brain in a form that represents the physical
Symbolic code approach
Mental imagery is related to language. Your brain registers a language-like description
Neuro-imaging research has shown ____
that the primary visual cortex is activated when people perform a task involving visual imagery
Prosopagnosia
individuals who cannot recognize people’s faces individually, although they can perceive other objects relatively normally
The majority of researchers support the ____ approach
The analogical approach (however, controversy is difficult to resolve)
Dual-code theory
We use imaginary (analogue) and verbal (symbolic) codes to represent information in our minds
Propositional theory
Neither in words nor in pictures. It is an abstract form that represents the underlying meanings of the knowledge
Image scaling
The mental zooming in and out of our mental images
We respond more quickly to questions about ____ objects
large objects
Functional equivalence hypothesis
It takes the same amount of time to perceive something in our “mental eye” as it does for real physical perceptions
Three examples of the Functional equivalence hypothesis
- Longer rotation takes longer
- Judging large distances takes longer
- People make decisions about shape longer when they are similar
Image scanning
Images are scanned in the same way as physical perceptions
Bizarreness effect
An effect seen where sentences describing unusual, bizarre scenarios are remembered better than plausible, common sentences
