A measure of visual imaging capacity: a preliminary study

Diferencias en imagen mental entre individuos españoles e italianos

Son pocos los estudios que miden la viveza de imagen entre individuos de diferentes países, por eso, en nuestra investigación deseábamos averiguar si existían diferencias significativas entre los individuos de España y de Italia, y entre las mujeres y hombres, en tres tipos de imágenes mentales: viveza de imagen, control de imagen, y habilidad para la imagen espacial. Para ello, seleccionamos un grupo de 103 estudiantes universitarios italianos y otro grupo de 110 estudiantes universitarios españoles a los que se les aplicaron tres tipos de test: un test que medía viveza de imagen, otro que medía el control de imagen, y el tercero que medía la habilidad de imagen espacial. Se encontró que el género no influía en ninguna de las medidas de imagen utilizada, sin embargo, el país influyó en el control de imagen. Los españoles obtuvieron puntuaciones, en control de imagen, significativamente superiores a las que obtuvieron los individuos italianos. Se necesitan nuevos estudios que midan estos y otros tipos de imagen, en estos y en otros países, para llegar a tener un conocimiento de cómo se distribuye la capacidad de imagen por todo el mundo.  

Vividness and transformation of mental images in karate and ballet

While imagery research has become popular in recent years, little research has specifically investigated differences in imagery ability between open- and closed-skill sport activities. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether the type of task, open or closed, affects vividness and controllability differently. Thirty female classic dancers (closed skill), 30 female karate athletes (open skill), and 30 female non-athlete students, between 14 and 20 years of age (M = 17.0, SD = 1.6), participated. They completed the Vividness of Visual Imagery Questionnaire, the Vividness of Movement Imagery Questionnaire, and the Subtraction of Parts Task. There was no difference in imagery ability between open- and closed-skill sport groups. Furthermore, dancers and karatekas had higher mean scores on imagery ability than the non-athlete group. A positive correlation was observed between the two questionnaires, supporting findings on the componential basis of imagery. This study contributed to increase the research in the specific area of open- and closed-skill sports and imagery ability.

Rotación mental y estilo cognitivo objetual, espacial y verbal || Mental rotation and object-spatial-verbal cognitive stiles

En esta investigación deseábamos averiguar la correlación que existía entre la Measure of the Ability to Rotate Mental Images (MARMI, Campos, 2012), un nuevo test de rotación de imágenes mentales, y cada una de las tres escalas del Object-Spatial Imagery and Verbal Qustionnaire (OSIVQ, Blazhenkova & Kozhevnikov, 2009).). Se aplicaron los test a un grupo de 203 estudiantes universitarios y encontramos que el MARMI correlacionó significativamente con la escala de imagen espacial del OSIVQ (r = .42). Fueron encontradas bajas correlaciones del MARMI con la imagen del objeto (r = -.02), y con la escala verbal (r = -.10). Obtuvimos diferencias significativas entre las medias de las tres escalas del OSIVQ. Las puntuaciones mayores se obtuvieron en la escala del objeto, y las menores puntuaciones se obtuvieron en la escala espacial. Se discuten los resultados.

Internal consistency and construct validity of two versions of the Revised Vividness of Visual Imagery Questionnaire

The Vividness of Visual Imagery Questionnaire (VVIQ; Marks, 1973) is the questionnaire most extensively used to measure imagery vividness, but two newer versions have been developed. In this study, the reliability and construct validity of these two measures were assessed: the Vividness of Visual Imagery Questionnaire-2 (VVIQ-2) and the Vividness of Visual Imagery Questionnaire-Revised Version (VVIQ-RV). A total of 206 undergraduate psychology students completed both questionnaires, and to assess construct validity, they also completed the Object-Spatial Imagery and Verbal Questionnaire (OSIVQ), Betts' Questionnaire Upon Mental Imagery (Betts' QMI), and the Measure of Ability to Form Spatial Mental Imagery (MASMI). Internal consistency reliability for both was high, with the VVIQ-RV having a Cronbach's alpha of .96, and the VVIQ-2 an alpha of .91. The construct validity of the VVIQ-RV and the VVIQ-2 was supported by the high correlations they had with the other three measures of imagery, which were all close to .50, and the very small correlations (.06-.07) they had with the Verbal scale of the OSIVQ, indicating that they validly measured the imagery construct. Thus, the findings support the two versions as equally valid psychometric instruments for measuring image vividness.

Some psychometric properties of the Spanish version of the Clarity of Auditory Imagery Scale

Few tests have been designed to measure auditory imagery. This study assessed the factor structure and internal consistency of the Spanish version of the Clarity of Auditory Imagery Scale (CAIS). Participants were 234 undergraduate students (M age = 19.6 yr.). Internal consistency reliability estimated by Cronbach's alpha was .82. In a principal components analysis followed by varimax orthogonal rotation, five factors were identified. Scores correlated moderately and positively with ratings on the Vividness of Visual Imagery Questionnaire-2 and negatively on the auditory scale of Betts' Questionnaire Upon Mental Imagery, but weakly and negatively with scores on the Measure of the Ability to Form Spatial Mental Imagery.

Visual imaging capacity and imagery control in Fine Arts students

This study investigated relationships between visual imaging abilities (imaging capacity and imagery control) and academic performance in 146 Fine Arts students (31 men, 115 women). Mean age was 22.3 yr. (SD= 1.9; range 20-26 yr.). All of the participants who volunteered for the experiment regularly attended classes and were first, second, or third year students. For evaluation of imaging abilities, the Spanish versions of the Gordon Test of Visual Imagery Control, the Vividness of Visual Imagery Questionnaire, the Verbalizer-Visualizer Questionnaire, and Betts' Questionnaire Upon Mental Imagery were used. Academic performance was assessed in four areas, Drawing, Painting, Sculpture, and Complementary Subjects, over a three-year period. The results indicate that imagery control was associated with academic performance in Fine Arts. These findings are discussed in the context of previous studies, and new lines of research are proposed.

Presentation of keywords by means of interactive drawings

One of the main outstanding problems in keyword mnemotechnics is whether this technique is more effective when the subjects generate their own keywords, or when the keywords are supplied by the experimenter. Both methods have advantages and disadvantages. An alternative method has recently been suggested, in which the keywords are generated by the subjects' peers. In the present study we aimed to investigate whether immediate or delayed recall are affected by keyword generation method (experimenter or peer generation). We also aimed to determine whether the method of keyword generation affects imaging capacity as evaluated by questionnaires or spatial tests. A total of 377 secondary-school students were selected and divided into four groups. All subjects were presented with 30 Latin words. Additionally, the subjects in Group 1 were presented with bizarre images, while the subjects of Group 2 were presented with normal images, in both cases representing the keywords selected by peers as interacting with the Latin words. The subjects in Groups 3 and 4 were likewise presented with normal or bizarre images, respectively, but representing the keywords selected by the experimenters. The subjects' imaging capacity was evaluated by means of the Vividness of Visual Imagery Questionnaire (VVIQ) and the Spatial Test of Primary Mental Abilities (ST-PMA). The results were analysed by multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) with three factors (ST-PMA imaging capacity, 2 levels; VVIQ imaging capacity, 2 levels; and mnemotechnic method, 4 levels) and dependent variables immediate recall and delayed recall. All three factors influenced recall. Subsequent univariate analyses of variance indicated that subjects with high ST-PMA score and subjects with high VVIQ score showed better immediate and delayed recall than subjects with low ST-PMA score and subjects with low VVIQ score. Mnemotechnic method (i.e. whether keywords are generated by the experimenter or by peers) significantly affected immediate recall but not delayed recall.

Capacity for mental imagery and its spontaneous use

The aim of this study was to investigate whether the capacity to form mental images influences the frequency with which subjects use mental images. Two tests measuring capacity for mental imagery were given to 283 undergraduates, a self-assessment and a performance test. Frequency of spontaneous use of mental imagery was also measured. Subjects with high self-assessed ability to form images used mental imagery spontaneously more often than those with low self-assessed imaging ability.