Cognitive Psychology: Mental Imagery & Virtual Reality

Aims for Today

• Define Mental Imagery (MI)
• Importance of Visual Imagery
• Distinction between MI and actual perception
• Brain structures involved in MI
• Applications in Virtual Reality (VR)
• Examples and evaluation of VR Treatments

Mental Imagery (MI)

• Processing perceptual-like information without an external source.
• Involved in problem-solving and creativity.
• Often referred to as the 'mind's eye'.
• Cognitive psychology examines creation, recall, and transformation of mental images.

Mental Imagery as an Epiphenomenon

• Important to distinguish MI from actual perception.
• Brain structures activate similarly but are distinct in experience.

Brain Structures Involved in MI

• Roland & Friberg (1985): Identified brain regions via blood flow measurements during MI tasks:
  • Verbal Task: Activation in Broca's and Wernicke's areas (language processing).
  • Visual Task: Activation in parietal, occipital, and temporal cortices (visual perception).

Visual Imagery (VI)

• Most researched area of MI.
• Focus on:
  • Mental rotation (Shepard & Metzler, 1971).
  • Image scanning for information retrieval.
  • MI generation and retention processes.

Psychology and Virtual Reality (VR)

• MI can evoke emotional and physiological responses.
• VR can help expose individuals to feared situations safely, facilitating therapy.
• Gradual exposure can reduce avoidance and phobia-related distress.

Other Uses of VR in Psychology

• Effective for treating phobias, anxiety disorders, and PTSD.
• VR can reduce pain in medical procedures (e.g., wound care).
• Graded exposure for OCD treatment.

Pros and Cons of VR Treatments

Pros

• Safe, controlled therapeutic environment.
• Customizable VR settings.
• Can bridge real-world and virtual experiences.

Cons

• Potential risks (flashbacks, health issues) need monitoring.
• Therapeutic relationship may be impacted.
• Cost may limit access to treatment.