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Role of response imagery on stimulus recognition*
1Requests for reprints should be sent to Henry C. Elhs. Department of Psychology, University of New Mexico, 87106, Albuquerque, New Mexico.
Memory & Cognition
|November 12, 2013
Summary
High-imagery responses enhance stimulus recognition after associative training, particularly when associations are correct. This suggests response imagery impacts memory retrieval more than initial learning.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Psychology
- Memory Research
Background:
- Associative training links stimuli and responses.
- Imagery affects cognitive processes like memory.
Purpose of the Study:
- Investigate how response imagery influences stimulus recognition after associative learning.
- Determine if imagery affects encoding or retrieval.
Main Methods:
- Participants learned associations between trigram stimuli and high- or low-imagery responses.
- Stimulus recognition and associative matching tasks were performed.
- Consistent and re-paired associations were used.
Main Results:
- High-imagery responses significantly improved stimulus recognition with correct associations.
- No reliable imagery effect was observed for incorrect associations.
- Recognition probability was higher for high-imagery responses.
Conclusions:
- Response imagery primarily influences memory retrieval, not encoding.
- The vividness of mental images associated with responses aids recall.
