Visual imagery

  1. Depictive Representation
    Mental images that have spatial properties similar to actual physical objects.

  2. Mental Walk Task
    A task in which a person imagines walking toward an object; it takes longer to "reach" smaller objects than larger ones.

  3. Unilateral Neglect
    A condition where damage to one hemisphere of the brain results in ignoring one side of space, even in mental imagery.

  4. Mental Scanning
    The process of visualizing and mentally "moving" through a scene, with greater distances taking longer to traverse.

  5. Mental Imagery
    The ability to visualize information, including senses beyond vision, and even things never actually seen before.

  6. Strand of DNA
    A mental representation of the double-helix structure of DNA.

  7. Paired-Associate Learning
    A memory technique in which a person learns to associate one item with another.

  8. Tacit Knowledge Explanation
    The idea that people unconsciously use real-world knowledge to influence their mental imagery, such as imagining a boat with realistic staged events.

  9. Spatial Representation
    A form of mental imagery where objects are arranged in a mental space similar to how they exist in the real world.

  10. Visual Imagery
    Seeing in the absence of actual stimuli, such as remembering a classroom or a grandparent's face. Not limited to visual stimuli or exact recreations.

  11. Mental Chronometry
    A method of measuring how long it takes to mentally manipulate images, as studied by Shepard and Meltzer.

  12. Imagery Debate
    A debate about whether imagery has a perceptual basis (like a visual stimulus) or is purely a verbal/propositional process.

  13. Conceptual Peg Hypothesis
    Proposed by Paivio, this suggests that concrete words create mental images that help "hang on" to related information. Example: "boat-hat" is easier to remember than "truth-justice."

  14. Imagery Neuron
    A neuron that responds both when a person sees an object and when they imagine the same object.

  15. Propositional Representation
    A way of mentally storing and processing information using abstract, language-like representations rather than sensory experiences.

  16. Imageless Thought Debate
    The debate on whether thought can exist independently of imagery.

  17. Pegword Technique
    A mnemonic strategy similar to the method of loci, using rhyming and ordered associations (e.g., "one is a bun, two is a shoe").

  18. Method of Loci
    A memory technique that involves placing information within a familiar mental location to aid recall.

  19. Epiphenomenon
    A secondary effect that occurs alongside a process but does not directly cause it—like mental images accompanying thought without being the mechanism itself.