Chapter 7 Mental imagery and cognitive Maps

Chapter-7 (Mental Imagery and cognitive Maps)

1. Imagery is a mental representation of stimuli without stimuli physical presence.
Perception vs. Imagery
Requires us to register information through imagery is mental representation
Ears, eyes
Perception relies on both bottom up and imagery relies on top-down processing
Top-down processing
There are three points to chapter 7 Nature of mental images, cognitive neuroscience research on different types of mental imagery, cognitive mps or mental representation of geographic information.
Nature of mental images: there is a debate in mental images whether our mental images are similar to perception or language. Mental image stored as analog code (depictive representation) is physical object resembling our mental image. Propositional code is language description of an object that does not physically resemble the original image.
Imagery and rotation: according to research conducted, we tend to rotate physical objects in mental images as we rotate them physically. Imagery and interface: our visual perception can interfere with our visual imagery when we try to visualize an object that is not physically there and at the same time look at an object that is physically there our mental image can interfere with what’s in front of us. Similarly, auditory imagery can interfere with auditory perception; motor movement can interfere with motor images.
Cognitive Neuroscience on mental imagery, imagery and perception have the same psychological processes. But at the biological level, they are different; visual perception activates rods and cones in the retina, whereas in imagery top-down processing takes place. Auditory cortex are active when we are asked to imagine hearing songs, and motor imagery, cerebellum is active when we imagine making hand gestures or hitting an object.
The last point on the chapter is cognitive map that is our mental representation of the environment around us. Cognitive map is part of spatial cognition that comprises how we recall the world; it also includes different discipline interpretations such as spatial knowledge, spatial arrangement and so on.
2. How does it fit into what I have learned already in this course?
At first it was how we perceive objects we see, sounds we hear, on the next chapter after that, we looked at how cognitive tasks attention and consciousness in relation to cognitive processes. This chapter extends to another part of cognitive process with bounded ability of our cognitive process in limited memory called Working memory. This chapter emphasizes about long-term memory opposite to working memory, when I learned about short-term memory that is a temporary storage for what my brain is working on current events but in case of long-term memory, it composes the experiences, events and information that we have stored over life time. Memory strategies builds on the concept I have learned so far, once I know what working-memory and long-term memory are, then this two chapters help me better utilize these memories with the idea of metacognition and metamemory in mind. Memory strategy relies on perception, attention, and consciousness and in the end metamemory and metacognition; if we organize how we learn what materials we remember in what circumstances then our memory improves and ultimately store information in the long-term memory. Mental imagery and Cognitive Maps also aids to our memory strategy or how we learn if we can picture or visualize an object or item that is not physically present. This chapter also indicates how mental image is stored either in analog-code or propositional code. Memory strategy can be productive if we know how we store information or how we draw mental images of items we need to remember.
3. What am I still not clear on?
In image rotation, research showed that we treat physical objects the same way we treat mental images when we rotate them. I don’t understand why there is still a controversy about analog and propositional coding? I think it would be difficult to process the rotation using language like representation.
4. How would I apply this to my own teaching/work?
I don’t teach 3-D math or physics classes but I took some. So image rotation can be used if students are trying to visualize 3-D problems when trying to locate the estimated location of a particle in space with the corresponding (x,y,z) coordinates. If the instructors give the location students might try to look at it in different direction to calculate the unknown.
5. What proof does the author offer that makes me believe this is valid? D I believe it? Why?
The author tried to include research, but I don’t see enough research on propositional coding. That is how we code using descriptive representation of imagery , the book does mention Zenon Pylyshyn’s idea on how we perform cognitive tasks requiring imagery we use the language like representation from prior knowledge.
6. Why is this important? What does it help improve or explain or predict?
When we try to teach children or adults, it is important to understand how they perceive or how they image objects/words in order to design activities or lesson plans to assist them comprehend, apply and perform other higher levels of thinking.
7. When would I actually use this-under what kind of circumstances and for what kind of students?
I believe mental imagery can be applied to students at different levels, starting with children learning shapes, up to students learning objects on space using 3-D coordinate system. But as for me I always use cognitive maps to estimate distance or if I want to picture how far a particular state mentioned on the news from MO.
8. Are there other ways to accomplish the same thing that are faster, cheaper, and/or better?
It would be more practical if they try to research on young children or even college students to make the point on the controversy of analog and propositional coding.