Visual Perception and Visual Imagery Essay - 3152 Words

If visual imagery and visual perception shared many of the same processes, then much of what is known to date about perception may be used and adapted to be able to understand the more internal and ambiguous process of visual imagery. The question is how much of mental imagery is actually a part of visual perception? The concept of a ‘unitary mechanism’ has been recurrently mentioned in the text, although little has been said about what it means and implies. This is a term coined by Stephen Kosslyn (2005), he provided a model of visual imagery in which a single visual buffer is used â€Å"bottom-up† to display visual percepts and â€Å"top-down† to display internally generated images. The main claim is that the brain areas that implement the†¦show more content†¦Another type of research is single case studies in which double dissociations have gravely challenged the model, such cases involve patients in which imagery was impaired and perception was speared and vice versa (Shallice, 1988). Although measures of haemodynamic activity and brain lesion studies provide some insightful information on the issue, other behavioural data is necessary to understand whether visual imagery is processed in the same way as perception. Finke and Pinker (1982) used reaction times as a ‘mental tape measure’ in which participants were required to look at an array of dots, once the dots disappeared and an arrow appeared, participants were requested to indicate whether the arrow was pointing at a previous dot or not. If the distance of the arrow was increased than the reaction time was expected to increase while one imagines scanning the image. This final research begs for the question, would eye movements show the same pattern of ‘scanning’? If visual perception and visual imagery have so much in common, than we might expect that the eye sequences present in visual perception will also be present and similar in visual imagery. There is strong evidence that this is in fact true, several studies show that spontaneous eye movements occur during visual imagery and in most of the studies the movements reflect the content and spatial relations of the originally perceived object. In a study by Brandt and Stark (1997) theShow MoreRelatedVisual Mental Imagery and the Average Subject Essay1133 Words   |  5 Pagespsychology 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, thinking, memory and perception. It is through this research on ‘average’ behaviour that general theories have been formulated, tested and retested, which led to a greater understanding of the underlying cognitive processes of the human mind. However, while many researchers areRead More Visual Form Agnosia Essay1569 Words   |  7 PagesVisual form agnosia is defined as the inability to recognize objects (Goldstein, 2010). To understand the basic concept of visual form agnosia, it is important to first understand that perception and recognition are separate processes. Perception is defined as the ability to become aware of something through our senses, and recognition is the ability to put an object in a group that gives the item meaning. When a person suffers from visual form agnosia, they are generally able to identify the itemRead MoreMiltons Telescope Trope: Vision and Spiritual Wisdom1569 Words   |  6 Pagesthe outlines of which dissolve while they are being watched. 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Visual literacy can portray itself through so many channelsRead MoreUse of Imagery and Figurative Language in â€Å"Facing It† by Yusef Komunyakaa1031 Words   |  5 PagesUse of Imagery and Figurative Language in â€Å"Facing It† by Yusef Komunyakaa In his poem, â€Å"Facing It†, Yusef Komunyakaa describes his ambivalent emotions towards the Vietnam War of which he was a veteran. Reflecting on his experiences, Yusef expresses his conflicting feelings about the Vietnam War and his feelings about how racism has played a part in America’s history. By using visual imagery and metaphoric language throughout the poem, Yusef is able to reflect the sad and confused emotions heRead MoreAnalysis Of The Poem At The Round Earth s Imagined Corners 908 Words   |  4 Pagessources of imagery to enhance the reader’s perception of the poem. For example, the speaker states in lines one through two, â€Å" blow your trumpets, angels, and arise, arise. This type of imagery uses visual and auditory signals. The trumpets are sounding as the angels are floating up from death. Next, the poet uses another key source of imagery. For example, the poet states in line five, â€Å" All whom the flood did, and fire shall O’ erthrow.† This particular statement by the speaker uses visual, olfactoryRead MoreOliver Sacks Essay1652 Words   |  7 Pagescompletely blind by age forty eight yet is still able to train his mind and brain to both run each other even without their vision by learning to compensate. Sacks believes that Hull is a great example of how an individual deprived of one form of perception could totally reshape himself to a new identity. In Hull’s case his brain signals were fine but it wasn’t registering in his mind so in the end he lost complete remembrance of sight even though he retained sight for his first thirty eight yearsRead MoreThe Connection between Sentence Comprehension and Motor Representations1321 Words   |  5 Pageswalk) and nouns of manipulable objects (e.g.. mug) activate regions on the motor cortex. This event is recognized as motor resonance. However, this phenomenon challenges present theoretical explanation of word comprehension. There are two do minant perceptions which are followed in cognitive psychology. 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