12. Cognitive Psych (Mental Imagery + Thought Suppression Cont.)

What is the mental representation of stimuli (objects, sounds, etc.) when those stimuli are not physically present?

Mental Imagery

What are the two most common types of mental imagery?

Visual imagery and auditory imagery

What are some of the less common types of mental imagery?

Taste imagery and smell imagery

Mental imagery is considered what type of processing?

It is exclusively top-down processing, as it originates from the brain.

Why is mental imagery considered a top-down process?

Because the stimulus is not present, so receptors cannot be receiving input from the environment.

List three common uses for mental imagery.

Memory strategies, spatial tasks, and relation to creativity

How do pilots and clinical psychologists use mental imagery?

Pilots use it for training and planning, while clinical psychologists may use visual imagery as a therapeutic tool.

What is the central question of the ‘Imagery Debate’ in cognitive psychology?

How do we store mental imagery information?

The theory that mental imagery is stored in the same form it is perceived is known as the _________.

Visual Code (or Analog perspective)

What does the Visual Code theory propose about how mental images are stored?

It proposes that images are stored in a form that physically resembles the original stimulus.

The theory that mental imagery is stored as a language-like representation is known as the ________.

Language Code (or Abstract/Propositional Code)

What does the Language Code theory propose about how mental images are stored?

It proposes that images are stored as an abstract, language-like description rather than a literal picture.

In the Kosslyn, Ball, & Reisberg (1978) experiment, what were participants first asked to do?

They were presented with a map of a fictional island and had to learn the locations of objects on it.

After learning the map in the Kosslyn et al. (1978) study, what task were participants given?

Without the map present, they were given an object (Point A) and asked to mentally picture the entire map.

What action did participants have to perform during the mental scanning task in the Kosslyn et al. (1978) study?

They were given a second location (Point B) and had to mentally scan from Point A to Point B, pressing a button upon arrival.

What was the key finding in the mental scanning experiment by Kosslyn et al. (1978)?

The farther the places were on the actual map, the longer it took for the person to mentally visualize and scan the distance.

Which theory of mental imagery does the Kosslyn et al. (1978) experiment support?

It supports the Visual Code.

Why does the Kosslyn et al. (1978) study support the Visual Code?

The correlation between mental travel time and actual distance suggests a map-like representation.

In the Chambers & Reisberg (1985) experiment, what were participants initially instructed to do with an ambiguous image (e.g., duck/rabbit image)?

They were instructed to form a mental image of the figure so they could draw it later.

What was the first condition in the Chambers et al. (1985) experiment on ambiguous figures?

After forming a mental image, participants had to decide what the image was and then look for an alternative view within their mental image (Alternative View from Mental Image).

What was the second condition in the Chambers et al. (1985) experiment, after participants tried to find an alternative view from their mental image?

Participants had to draw the image and then look for an alternative view from their own drawing.

What percentage of participants in Chambers et al. (1985) experiments could find the alternative view from their mental image?

0%

What percentage of participants in Chamber & Reisberg’s (1985) experiments could find the alternative view from their own drawing?

100%

Which theory of mental imagery do the results from the Chambers & Reisberg (1985) ambiguous figures study support?

The Language Code

Why do the findings of the Chambers & Reisberg (1985) study support the Language Code?

Because if we stored images visually (like a picture), we should be able to reinterpret them, but the inability to do so suggests we store a label or description instead.

What is the primary strength of using EEG (Electroencephalogram) for neuroscience research on imagery?

It has high temporal accuracy, meaning it is very precise at measuring the timing of brain activity.

What is the primary strength of using fMRI (functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging) for neuroscience research on imagery?

It has high spatial accuracy, meaning it is very precise at measuring where in the brain activity is occurring.

According to the neuroscience findings of Kosslyn, Ganis, & Thompson (2001), mental rotation tasks show activation in which brain area?

The motor cortex

According to the neuroscience findings of Kosslyn, Ganis, & Thompson (2001), the task of visualizing faces shows activation in which brain area?

The Fusiform Face Area (FFA)

What was the major conclusion from neuroimaging studies comparing mental imagery to visual perception?

The brain areas activated during mental imagery are the same (between 70%-90% of the time) as those activated during visual perception.

These neuroscientific findings that perception and imagery activate similar brain regions provides strong support for which theory?

The Visual Code theory

In the Horikawa et al. (2013) study on dreams, what technology was used to monitor participants’ brain activity?

fMRI (functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging)

What was the initial procedure in the Horikawa et al. (2013) dream study?

Participants were woken up as they started to fall asleep to report the dream images they saw (over 200 images were collected).

What was the main result of the Horikawa et al. (2013) fMRI study on dream imagery?

Researchers were able to match brain activity to the visual images reported during dreaming with 60% accuracy.

What is a major limitation of the dream-reading technology from Horikawa et al. (2013)?

Each participant needed to have their specific brain extensively modeled, meaning it’s not a universal ‘mind-reading’ device.

What is the attempt to let certain things escape from consciousness, or to eliminate/un-think specific thoughts, feelings, or images?

Thought Suppression

What famous instruction exemplifies the challenge of thought suppression?

‘Don’t think of a white bear.’

In the Wegner et al. (1987) study, what were participants in the ‘thought expression’ task asked to do?

For 5 minutes, they were to freely think of a white bear and ring a bell every time they did.

In the Wegner et al. (1987) study, what were participants in the ‘thought suppression’ task asked to do?

They spent 5 minutes trying not to think of a white bear, but were told to ring a bell if they did.

What happened during the second 5-minute period for the group that initially suppressed thoughts of a white bear in Wegner’s study?

They were then allowed to think of a white bear, and there was a significant over-representation or ‘rebound’ in their thoughts about it.

The finding that trying not to think about something makes you think about it more later is known as the ________.

Rebound effect (or paradoxical effect of thought suppression)

What is a primary criticism regarding the ecological validity of Wegner’s ‘white bear’ study?

The study uses a neutral concept (a white bear), which may not be generalizable to suppressing highly emotional or traumatic thoughts.