Introduction
The enduring differences between individuals are an intriguing subject area in modern psychology. An interest in examining how people differ in their thinking, feeling and behaviour has developed over time. Even over 2000 years ago, Plato stated “No two persons are born exactly alike; but each differs from the other in natural endowments, one being suited for one occupation and the other for another”.
Moving forward in time to 1984, Shackleton and Fletcher pointed out that within the study of scientific psychology of human behaviour, individual differences can easily get lost and brushed off as noise to data. Much of previous research has been concerned with the general processes of the ‘normal’ population such as learning,
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The next section will introduce VMI with a definition and a brief history, however, because it is not the main focus of the essay it will be kept very concise. A detailed review of the debate of visual mental imagery over the centuries can be found by Kosslyn, Thompson and Ganis (2006), Phylyshyn (2002) also gathers a plethora of theories in mental imagery.
Visual Mental Imagery – The Big Picture in brief
Insert Example of VMI. Mental Imagery is a familiar feature of everyday life that most people experience, even though some people report not doing so (e.g. Farah et al. 1984, 1988). Kosslyn, Ganis and Thompson (2009) refer to the idea that imagery is the experience of ‘seeing with the mind’s eye’. ‘Imagery’ invites people to simulate what they think would happen if they were looking at the actual event. It is believed to play a role in visuospatial reasoning, memory and creative thought, for instance evaluating options, reconstructing past perceptual events and anticipating future desired or feared experiences (Tversky, 2004; Pearson, 2007).
The interest in mental imagery once again dates back to the time of Plato who speculated that mental images are formed from memories, and that images are carved into the mind just like pictures can be carved on a wax tablet (as cited in Kosslyn, Behrmann & Jeannerod, 1995). He even likened individual differences to the purity of the
This is a sample of imagery allowing readers to visualize in their minds what is happening.
In the story "The Chrysanthemums," by John Steinbeck, imagery is important in the development of his characters. The man who drives the wagon and fixes things is a perfect example of imagery. "His worn black suit was wrinkled and spotted with grease. The laughter had disappeared from his face and eyes the moment his laughing voice ceased. His eyes were dark, and they were full of the
Mental Imagery plays a role in our lives, it helps us plan for the future and make decisions. Although there are some people who never experience mental imagery. There are many
An example of vivid imagery was when Bradley started winning the arm wrestling matches, and remembering winning is just not everything. “It was like a thrill I have experienced at my grandfather’s lake house in Louisiana, when I hooked my first big fish, Big Joe, but when my cousin saw the fish, he said, “that a keeper,” I realized I would be happier with the fish to be let go instead of grilling it” (pg. 162) Bradley compares Big Joe to arm wrestling in that Big Joe is a hard to catch and his father is hard to be beaten in arm wrestling. “Whenever you think that you have Big Joe, you cut the line and let the legend go on” (pg. 162). Another example of vivid imagery is “His arms have always protected me and my family, knowing they caught my mother whenever she fainted across the room and that they carried me, full grown, up and down the stairs when I had mononucleosis” (pg. 162). This quote is very descriptive in giving us primary examples of what it was like for his father’s arms to protect him and his mother from any harm, knowing that they were safe in his arm’s.
Think about a time when you had a headache, whether from confusion, a sickness, annoyance, or anything else. How did you feel? An example of sensory imagery is shown on page 103, with the author saying: “Montag’s head whirled sickeningly. He felt beaten unmercifully on brow, eyes, nose, lips, chin, on shoulders, on upflailing arms.” (Pg.103)
Funder discusses on how personality psychology formulates around numerous basic approaches. One approach Funder talks about is the biological approach, which addresses the mental process on our behavior including anatomy, physiology, genetics, and evolution. This approach analyses our feelings, thoughts, and behaviors through our mind. Another approach that Funder discusses is the trait approach, which is basically the study of human personality; the trait approach concentrates on the way an individual differs in emotion, thought, and behavior and how those differences are measured. These two approaches complement each other because the trait approach focuses on routine patterns of an individual that are behaviors, feelings, and thoughts which those
Jacob Bronowski’s speech, “The Reach of Imagination,” provides a theory that humans are the only beings capable of imagination and memory. This theory relies on the cognitive function of visual images; while it is suggestive, Bronowski does not give an in depth representation of the memory that explains how and why it works. Daniel Schacter provides an updated theory, closely related to Bronowski, of how the brain can form and retrieve memories. These memories are retrieved as fragments; Schacter adds on to Bronowski’s theory with a psychological factor and shows exactly how people remember and interpret things differently. Though Bronowski’s theory of imagination and memory is simplistic and aged, it is still supported by Daniel Schacter’s updated theory behind the human brain and how memories are retrieved in fragments.
Imagery is used to help create an atmosphere in the graveyard. An example of this is when Twain describes the Boneyard. The quote, “It was a graveyard of the old-fashioned kind...It had a crazy board fence around it...Grass and weeds grew rank over the whole cemetery.”(Twain 62) supports this claim because without knowing where a something takes place and what it looks like can dramatically influence the reader and how they visualize and get out of a text. Another example of imagery is when Injun Joe and Muff Potter get to the tomb, “ They pried off the lid with their shovels and dumped the body rudely on the ground. The moon drifted and exposed the pallid face.”(Twain 65). This quote relates to imagery in the sense of sight. This expert proves the claim because it broadcasts to the reader how the people view the dead and their importance. When somebody does something commonly known as disrespectful without a second glance,
Elliott (1973) examined the concept that those who used imagery would have better recall than those who used rehearsal memory techniques while performing an additional task of either looking at an unrelated picture, reading a short passage or listening to numbers being recited. He also hypothesized that words that were more concrete in nature would have a higher recall rate than those that were abstract. As he expected, Elliott (1973) found that those who used imagery to memorize information did better on recall during all three additional tasks and that concrete words overall had a higher recall rate. He further cemented this idea when he unexpectedly tested participants on their long-term memory after
In one experiment, researchers showed volunteers images and asked them to imagine other images at the same time. Later, many of the volunteers recalled the imagined images as real. Using fMRI, the researchers were able to determine which parts of the brain formed the false memories and which formed the real ones. “We think parts of the brain used to actually perceive an object and to imagine an object overlap,” says Northwestern University scientist Kenneth Paller. “Thus, the vividly imagined event can leave a memory trace in the brain that’s very similar to that of an experienced
Seeing the Allegory of the Cave visually affects your sense of imagery. Plato paints a picture of three normal people who are prisoners in a cave. They are unware of the life that isn’t shown to them. They stare at the wall and are shown shadows every once and a while. It shows world of ideal forms, of which everything we know by our senses is but a lower copy. The people talk about it and guess what the shadows are. One day, a prisoner is released from the cave. He is blinded by the light but then his eyes adjust and he sees the truth. After he takes in the real world he goes back to tell the other prisoners. The prisoners are still chained up and do not recognize him. His voice echo’s which they can’t understand it and his shadow doesn’t
The question posed needs you look at the two different disciplines these the cognitive psychologist perceptive, and the other be biological psychologist. Both disciplines study the brain. It soon becomes apparent that both disciplines cross, join and merge at some point. Both use brain imagining techniques to study the brain and both research into what section of the brain is responsible for actions and behaviours. This essay is based on the loose discussion of what these techniques can tell researchers about the brain and memory. How brain imagery techniques are used to provide evidence on what area and part of that area of the brain are involved in the memory process. From both cognitive and biological perceptive.
Prior to the 19th century, artists were often hired to make artwork for the elite and wealthy, as well as for establishments like the church. Art in this time depicted religious and mythological scenes that were used to tell stories to the audience. According to The Museum of Modern Art, “During the 19th century many artists started to make art about people, places, or ideas that interested them, and of which they had direct experience.” And with the publication of psychologist Sigmund Freud’s The Interpretation of Dreams (1899) and the popularization of the idea of a subconscious mind, many artists began exploring dreams, symbolism, and personal iconography as opportunities for the depiction of their subjective experiences. In this paper,
The first topic of the questionnaire was imagination. Imagination measured imagery use, daydreams, and night dreams. Coupled with a five-point scale imagery was measured using 10 items from the Habitual Use of Imagery and Paivio’s Individual Differences Questionnaire( source). An example of a question from the Habitual Use of Imagery is “I often use mental images or pictures to help me remember things.” Paivio’s Individual Differences Questionnaire included statements like “My powers of imagination are higher than average” (source).Daydreams (“whenever I have time on my hands, I daydream”)
Mimesis is the chief topic, but in this study, this term will be understood as image making: making something that is not a real thing, but merely an image of a thing. Plato disparages mimesis in the visual arts by comparing it with holding up a mirror in which the world mechanically reproduce itself.”(Janaway, 5)