Tata Institute of Social Sciences - Imagery, Retrospect and Prospect

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The purpose of imagery according to Kosslyn is to retrieve information from memory in a variety of circumstances, but primarily when (1) the information to be remembered is of a subtle visual property; (2) the property has not been explicitly considered previously (and hence labelled); and (3) the property cannot easily be deduced from other stored information (for example, from information about a general category to which the object belongs). Whereas according to Paivio imagery along with language can be used for concretisation of knowledge, which id done with the help of internal representational units, called logogens and imagens. Logogens deal with language. Imagen are specialised to deal with nonverbal (imagery) system like objects and events (non-linguistic). The logogen and imagens get activated when a person recognizes, manipulates, of just thinks about words or things (Paivio, 2006).

Process of imagery

Cognitivists probed to know about exactly what imagery was, what mechanisms operated the process, and what use imagery was to cognition. They got divided into two side - one side considering images to be picture-like representations, and the other side considering them to be forms of propositional representation (Sacks, 2011). While the advocates of pictorial form of visual imagery like that of Kosslyn, Finke, Pinker, Shepard, & Metzler, continued with the metaphors of ‘mind’s eye’ for imagery. The other side criticised the pictorial notion of imagery and proposed that the mental representation is not like image but is more of a proportional representation. This side consisted of Skinner, Dennett, Pylyshyn, Neisser, Hinton, Slezak, & Thomas. One of the major critique of quasi visual pictorial image analogy, Pylyshyn opposed the intuition that one’s image has an autonomous existence, and it acts in adherence to its own laws and principles. He claimed, it is the person alone who controls his/her image (Pylyshyn, 1998). He pointed towards a propositional representation of objects that draws from the tacit knowledge of an individual.

The Pictorial Vs Propositional debate

Pylyshyn (1973, 1971) argued that all the genuine phenomena associated with imagery need to have a mentalese representation. Rather than being picture like imagery is like a detailed mentalese description of a scene. Through his article “What the Mind’s Eye tells the Mind’s Brain: a critique of Mental Imagery” Pylyshyn started a lively and controversial debate famous as the analog-propositional debate (Sacks, 2011). He claimed that the properties that the quasi pictorial metaphor assigns to images belong to that of percept in their introspective experience. So it is a confused version of perception that the pastoralists are assigning to a rather distinct, mental imagery. Pylyshyn writes that fundamental notion of pastoralists is flawed because they think mental imagery is perceived in the same manner as pictures. The analogy between imagery and vision is a flawed one, as this fails to observe any difference between mental images as internal objects and properties of the external image. His notion of imagery begins with the belief that what people refer to ate the properties of the objects they are imaging and not the properties of their images (Sacks, 2011). He critics Kosslyn, for having fallen into the trap by perceiving that mental imagery represent physical distance, or perceiving that it has spatial characters. According to Sacks Pylyshyn did not question the existence of imagery but rather was unwilling to recognize its symbolic independence and also perceived mental imagery can be reduced to an abstract representational code (2011).

Important Experiments to Study Imagery

Imagery and its effects can be studied through some classical experiments namely: mental rotation studies by Shepard & Metzler (1971); scanning and distance study by Kosslyn, (1973); mental walk experiments; report on mental image (introspection); & mental practice (motor imagery) are some of the landmark experiments done in the field of imagery study.

Research domains

In the domain of ‘learning and memory’ imagery can be greatly helpful the following areas can be studied for the bearing imagery has on them and they are - Imagery and learning; using imagery to learn skill; & imagery in memory. There is great scope of research the field of ‘effect of imagery on perception and action’.

Conclusion

As proposed by Fodor images in the mind always come with an intentionality, with which the images are being operated on. He argued that pictures do not have inherent meaning and unless associated with an intention do not solve any purpose. According to him intentionality plays a crucial role in the functioning of imagery in our minds. Hence even if the imagery is pictorial or perception based what we need out of the imagery will determine the kind of mental process that will associate with it.

Reference

Vecchi, T. & Bottini, G. (2006). Imagery and Spatial Cognition Methods, models and cognitive assessment. Philadelphia: John Benjamins Publishing Company.

Thomas, N. (2014). Mental Imagery. http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/mental-imagery

Kosslyn, M. S. (1996). Image and Brain The Resolution of the Imagery Debate.

Sacks,O.(2011)

tsi.sionline.unicatt.it/bitstream/10280/1058/4/03capitolo2_tesiphd_OLIVERI.pdf.

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