FIX Mental Imagery & Cognitive Maps (CH7)

Chapter 7

Perception Dynamics

Combines bottom-up and top-down processing.

Mental Imagery

Involves only top-down processing. Defined as a mental representation of a stimulus that is not currently present.

• Can encompass various sensory modalities beyond just the visual.

  • Examples include:

    • Smell of apple cider

    • Feeling of a wool sweater

    • Taste of a sour belt

Analog Code

Described as “inner pictures.” The mental representation of information in a way that is continuous and resembles the physical characteristics of the object or concept it represents. It is often described as being "picture-like."

• Imagining an object simulates it as if it were actually present.

• Mental images are analogous to percept/perceived stimuli 

• _____ Representation:

  • “A mouse bit a cat.”

Supported by…

• Imaging and fMRI Evidence

• Size Comparisons

• Traveling a Mental Map/Mental Scanning

• Mental Rotation

Propositional Code

Described as “inner descriptions.” A way of mentally encoding information in the form of statements or _____ that convey meaning. This type of representation allows individuals to manipulate and understand complex ideas by breaking them down into simpler, logical components.

• Abstract and resembles language more than the original stimulus.

  • Animal: Mammal

  • Ears: Big

  • Nose: Trunk

  • Coloring: Normally gray, but could be pink.

  • _____ Representation:

    • Bite [action] (mouse [agent of action], cat [object]).

Supported by…

• ambiguous figure distortions

• ambiguous/reversible figures

• heuristics in cognitive maps

  • rotation heuristic

  • alignment bias

  • border bias

Analogous

refers to the cognitive process of understanding new information by comparing it to familiar concepts.

• often facilitated by analogies, which help individuals transfer knowledge from one context to another, making complex ideas more accessible.

Tacit knowledge

is defined as knowledge that is difficult to articulate or convey to others, often gained through personal experience

Propositional Code’s Explanation of …

Tacit knowledge 

• Suggests that classic timing effects in imagery tasks derive from implicit knowledge about the world and the task rather than from manipulating an internal picture.

  • Ex: people know that…

    • bigger rotations take longer in the real world,

    • longer distances take longer to traverse

• Mental imagery

  • Proponents/supporters of propositional code believe that mental imagery is epiphenomenal to having propositional codes.

    • A secondary byproduct that isn’t part of actually causing a process

  • It co-occurs, but doesn’t mean the information is stored as an image

Epiphenomenal

relating to an epiphenomenon (= something that exists and can be seen, felt, etc. at the same time as another thing but is not related to it): A secondary byproduct that isn’t part of actually causing a process

Ambiguous Figures

• findings:

  • It’s hard to “flip” _____ when relying on a mental image, but it’s easy when the image is visible 

    • Perhaps you don’t mentally operate on abstract descriptions (propositions) the same way you do over actual images

    • Basically, if imagery is like the real thing, you should be able to do the same mental tasks with each

Chambers & Reisberg (1985) Study

• Findings:

  • Participants could not provide a second interpretation of a figure only after visualizing it briefly.

    • Success emerged only after attempting to draw the mental image; this suggests predominance of propositional processing over analog imagery.

Heuristic

A “rule of thumb” guiding decisions more simply and quickly than elaborate algorithms.

border bias

influences how people perceive the risk of a disaster. This bias occurs when individuals underestimate the risk of a disaster spreading from a different state, but not when it spreads from an equally distant location within the same state.

• This bias can lead to underestimation of the severity of a disaster and can result in individuals ignoring warnings and suffering the consequences.

rotation heuristic

The inclination to mentally align geographic maps along north/south or east/west axes, which can misconstrue the true orientation of figures. A type of Cognitive Map heuristic

alignment bias

Memory will distort geographical comparisons to seem more aligned than they legitimately are visually.

Conclusion on Mental Imagery Types

• Overall, evidence suggests a composite model where both analog and propositional imagery may exist.

• Evidence points to different situations activating different types of imagery.

Vividness of Visual Imagery Questionnaire

VVIQ. A questionnaire used to measure the vividness that a person experiences mental imagery

• Participants try to imagine a cue (your mother’s face, a place you visited as a child)

• Participants assess their visual experiences on a Likert scale ranging from ‘No image at all’ to ‘Perfectly clear and vivid as normal vision.’

Aphantasia

A condition involving an inability to create voluntary mental images.

• Involuntary imagery can occur, such as in dreams.

• Can stem from both congenital factors and brain damage, leading to reduced vividness across sensory modalities and recollection of autobiographical memories.

• Imagery less likely to affect mood 

• Difficulty recognizing faces

• tend to pursue scientific or technical careers

Hyperphantasia

 The experience of exceptionally vivid mental imagery.

• Vivid images boost mental rotation tasks, no difference to aphantasia in typicality task

• often engage in more artistic professions

• More often have synesthesia