Mental

Manipulation of
Images
 What is Mental Imagery?
• It is to refer to representations and the accompanying experience of
sensory information without a direct external stimulus. Such
representations are recalled from memory and lead one to re-experience a
version of the original stimulus or some novel combination of stimuli.
 What are images used for?

• Role in motor programming, e.g. reaching for a

target
• Also used in sports to enhance performance
• Can be inspected to access information that has
been stored in memory
 Individual differences in imagery

• Some people report their imagery as vivid, much

like actually seeing
• Other people report that their images are more
like descriptions, and not at all like actually
seeing
• Imagery relies on a combination of abilities. A
person could be good on some imagery tasks, but
not others.
 Mental Rotations

How Does Mental Rotation Work?

• Mental rotation involves rotationally transforming an object’s visual
mental image.
Example:
• Just like you can physically rotate a water bottle you hold in your hands,
you can also imagine a water bottle in your mind and rotate it in the mind.
 Zooming in on Mental Images:
Image Scaling
• The key idea underlying research on image size and scaling is that it is
represented and it uses mental images in ways that are functionally
equivalent to representations and uses of percepts.
Example:
• When you look at a building from afar, you won’t be able to see as many
details as when you are close by, and you may not be able to see things as
clearly.
• Images provide a way of coding information that
is different from a purely verbal description.
• Imageable words can be represented twice in
memory with a verbal code and an image. This
dual coding leads to a memory advantage. When
retrieval is attempted, there are two ways of
accessing the information.
• Imagery helps memory
• Words that we can form images of are easier to
remember than those that we cannot form images
of.
• Vision areas are also used for imagery