Jove
Visualize
Contact Us

Related Experiment Videos

Spontaneous imagery scanning in mental extrapolation.

R A Finke, S Pinker

    Journal of Experimental Psychology. Learning, Memory, and Cognition
    |March 1, 1982
    PubMed
    Summary
    This summary is machine-generated.

    Related Concept Videos

    You might also read

    Related Articles

    Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

    Sort by
    Same author

    A Neural Dissociation within Language: Evidence that the Mental Dictionary Is Part of Declarative Memory, and that Grammatical Rules Are Processed by the Procedural System.

    Journal of cognitive neuroscience·2013
    Same author

    On language.

    Journal of cognitive neuroscience·2013
    Same author

    Ontario, Quebec compare views on medicare.

    CMAJ : Canadian Medical Association journal = journal de l'Association medicale canadienne·2002
    Same author

    Quebec's $100-million campaign targets meningococcal disease.

    CMAJ : Canadian Medical Association journal = journal de l'Association medicale canadienne·2002
    Same author

    Talk of genetics and vice versa.

    Nature·2001
    Same author

    Baby monitor.

    Time·2001
    JoVE
    x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
    ABOUT JoVE
    OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
    AUTHORS
    Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
    LIBRARIANS
    TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
    RESEARCH
    JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
    EDUCATION
    JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
    Terms & Conditions of Use
    Privacy Policy
    Policies

    This study shows that mental-image scanning helps people judge spatial relationships. Reaction times were proportional to distance, suggesting a functional role for mental imagery in memory tasks.

    Area of Science:

    • Cognitive Psychology
    • Neuroscience
    • Human Perception

    Background:

    • Mental imagery is a cognitive process involving the generation of visual perceptions in the absence of external stimuli.
    • Previous research has explored the properties of mental imagery, including its spatial characteristics.
    • The functional role of mental-image scanning in real-world tasks remains an area of investigation.

    Purpose of the Study:

    • To investigate the functional application of mental-image scanning in a spatial judgment task.
    • To determine if participants spontaneously utilize mental-image scanning when assessing spatial relationships.
    • To examine the relationship between reaction times and the distances involved in mental-image scanning.

    Main Methods:

    • Participants viewed a dot pattern, which was then removed.

    Related Experiment Videos

  • An arrow was presented at a novel location.
  • Subjects judged if the arrow pointed to a dot in the original pattern, with reaction times recorded.

    • Main Results:

    • Most participants reported using mental-image scanning to perform the task.
    • Reaction times were directly proportional to the distances between the arrow's location and the dots in the remembered pattern.
    • This finding aligns with typical results from image-scanning experiments.

    Conclusions:

    • Mental-image scanning appears to serve a functional role in judging spatial relations.
    • This cognitive process is useful when comparing remembered object positions with new locations.
    • The study provides evidence for the practical application of mental imagery in cognitive tasks.