The effects of action and knowledge on the formation of mental imagery: A constructivist approach.

摘要

This experiment examined the impact of action and knowledge on the formation of mental imagery derived from ambiguous stimuli. Following the constructivist model of mental imagery begun by Corriss (1996) and Chambers and Reisberg (1985), this study attempted to determine if individuals form mental images of ambiguous stimuli based purely upon perceptual information, or if their knowledge of the stimuli affects their resultant image. Two ways in which the individual's knowledge of the stimuli may be altered include: the presentation of a verbal label along with the stimulus; and by interacting with the stimuli through graphic reproduction. Such an exploration will address the debate between Chambers and Reisberg (1985) and Finke et al. (1989) over the effects of ambiguous stimuli on image formation, as well as furthering the continued exploration of a new line of thought in the currently stalled field of imagery research. 120 college undergraduates were assigned to one of six groups. Subjects either perceived or acted upon four consecutive Rorschach blots. In addition, subjects knowledge of the stimuli was affected by either receiving a verbal label consonant with the blots appearance, followed by a dissonant label, or a dissonant label followed by a consonant label. After forming their image, subjects were confronted with a forced choice task containing the original blot and four modified versions. Subjects were then asked to choose the blot which most closely resembled the image they formed. The results did not reveal any main effect for action. However, the results did indicate that verbal labels affected the accuracy of the images subjects formed. This difference in accuracy was not based upon the presence or absence of the label, but rather upon the type of label present. Subjects who received the consonant label first formed more accurate images than those who received the dissonant label first. These results are interpreted within the constructivist model of mental imagery.