Describe the evidence that mental images are in some ways like the actual stimulus, as well as the evidence that they are different from the actual stimulus
What will be an ideal response?
ANSWER:
In a typical image-scanning experiment, like the one done by Stephen Kosslyn and colleagues (Borst & Kosslyn, 2008; Kosslyn et al., 2004), participants are asked to memorize a map of a fictitious island with several objects depicted on it. After the participants have memorized the map, they are asked to mentally scan the path that a black dot would take as it travels from one point on the map to another. Because the points are at various distances from one another, researchers can correlate the time it takes participants to mentally scan the image with the distance between the points on the actual map. If the participants’ visual images of the map are copies of the actual map, the time it takes to scan longer distances should be longer than the time it takes to scan shorter distances on the map. This is exactly what Kosslyn found: the time it took to scan distances increased proportionately with the increase in the actual distances on the map. The results of this and numerous other experiments (see Jolicoeur & Kosslyn, 1985; Pylyshyn, 2006; Shepard, 1978, for a review) suggest that visual images may have all of the spatial properties of the real stimulus. In other words, the visual image we store is essentially a copy of the stimulus we see in the world. However, other studies show that visual images may deviate significantly from the actual stimuli (Boden, 1988; Chambers & Reisberg, 1992; Pylyshyn, 2003, 2006).
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According to Stephen Kosslyn (1994), our mental representation of visual stimuli relies on both visual images and verbal knowledge. In other words, we use both types of mental representations—sensory (pictures) and meaning (words) — to fully represent visual stimuli. The pictures represent parts of the stimulus, and the words describe the stimulus and tell us how the pieces of the picture fit together.
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Which of the following statements about the "wear-and-tear" theory of aging is true?
A) Evidence suggests a moderate relationship between physical activity and early death. B) Cross-cultural research supports the idea that the body eventually wears out from use. C) Despite its benefits, exercise in adulthood is linked to frequent injuries, such as bone breaks and muscle tears. D) Regular, moderate-to-vigorous exercise predicts a longer life, which is contrary to the theory.
Someone who designs the cockpits of planes so that he or she can easily be operated by pilots could be described as:
A. a biopsychologist. B. an environmental psychologist. C. an experimental psychologist. D. a human factors psychologist.
The fabrication of data is known as
A. fraud. B. assault. C. plagiarism. D. liaison.
What were the results of the experiments conducted on participants who were variously administered mild pain, imagined pain, and hypnotized pain?
A. Participants reported actually feeling pain only for real pain. B. Participants reported actually feeling pain for both real and hypnotically induced pain. C. Participants reported not feeling pain for hypnotically induced pain. D. Participants reported feeling pain for imagined pain.