Bizarre imagery: The misremembered mnemonic.

Conducted 2 experiments with 56 undergraduates to measure the effects of bizarre imagery and image interaction on the brief and long-term memory of word pairs. Ss in Exp I performed an incidental learning task and were administered free- and cued-recall tests either 5 min or 1 wk after the task. Ss in Exp II received more intensive training in the learning task and completed 2 cued-recall tests in the same session and another cued-recall test 1 wk later. In both experiments, bizarre imagery did not improve memory more than plausible, interactive imagery. The degree of interaction in the image was a strong determinant of cued-recall performance at both retention intervals. Most Ss in Exp II believed that they had remembered more bizarre than plausible pairs, even though this was clearly not the case. Possible reasons for the acceptance of the notion that bizarre imagery improves memory are discussed. (23 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Visual imagery correlated to a measure of creativity.

Scores on questionnaires of visual imagery and of creativity showed a low but highly significant positive correlation for 307 undergraduates. No Ss with very high imagery scores had very low creativity scores. These findings tend to support the thesis that creative individuals accept the products of primary process thinking. However, several Ss with high creativity scores had very low imagery scores; this fits less readily into the same thesis. Men's imagery scores had a higher variance and a lower mean than women's. Further research is needed to find if the sex difference represents only differences in compliance with the implied desire of a woman E. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effects of an imagery mnemonic on second language recall and comprehension.

24 university students with some background in French as a 2nd language used an imagery-based hook mnemonic and rote rehearsal to learn sets of French words. The hook technique involved associating the new items with an overlearned series of French stimulus words and images, which could be retrieved during recall using a number code. The rote condition involved the technique without imagery. The recall items, presented with their translation equivalents on the study trial, varied in familiarity and concreteness. Recall following 1 study trial was much higher for words learned by imagery than by rote. This effect was slightly qualified by familiarity and concreteness, which also affected recall. Translation tests given before and (unexpectedly) 1 day after the recall experiment showed that correct translations of relatively unfamiliar items increased more after study by imagery than after rote study. Thus, imagery simultaneously facilitated both recall and comprehension. (19 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Bizarre imagery as an effective memory aid: The importance of distinctiveness.

Five experiments with 304 undergraduates investigated the effects of imagery type (bizarre or common) on memory of word triplets. In Exp I bizarre imagery increased recall when imagery type was manipulated in a within-list design but not when imagery type was manipulated in a between-list design. Results of Exp II show that this effect occurred with imagery processing instructions and not with semantic processing instructions. Exp III indicated that bizarre imagery facilitated recall in a within-list design for both self-paced and experimenter-paced presentations of the stimuli, and Exp IV, the pattern of effects of bizarre imagery on memory (in a within-list design) did not parallel the effects of presentation rate on memory. Data from Exps I through IV are inconsistent with an attentional explanation of bizarre imagery effects. In Exp V, when several types of additional learning were interpolated between initial imaginal processing and testing, bizarre imagery produced better recall with a between-list manipulation, but only when the additional learning involved common imagery. In addition to delineating the conditions under which bizarre imagery improves recall, overall findings suggest that distinctiveness may underlie the bizarreness effect. (29 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Visual search performance among persons with schizophrenia as a function of target eccentricity.

The current study investigated one possible mechanism of impaired visual attention among patients with schizophrenia: a reduced visual span. Visual span is the region of the visual field from which one can extract information during a single eye fixation. This study hypothesized that schizophrenia-related visual search impairment is mediated, in part, by a smaller visual span. To test this hypothesis, 23 patients with schizophrenia and 22 healthy controls completed a visual search task where the target was pseudorandomly presented at different distances from the center of the display. Response times were analyzed as a function of search condition (feature vs. conjunctive), display size, and target eccentricity. Consistent with previous reports, patient search times were more adversely affected as the number of search items increased in the conjunctive search condition. It was important however, that patients’ conjunctive search times were also impacted to a greater degree by target eccentricity. Moreover, a significant impairment in patients’ visual search performance was only evident when targets were more eccentric and their performance was more similar to healthy controls when the target was located closer to the center of the search display. These results support the hypothesis that a narrower visual span may underlie impaired visual search performance among patients with schizophrenia. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The self as a mnemonic device: The role of internal cues.

Two studies with 48 undergraduates examined the contention that the self-reference effect occurs because the self provides a set of organized internal cues in the form of personal experiences that can mediate recall. The 2 properties—constructibility and associability of internal cues—are also important to the self-reference effect. S-generated cues composed of personal experiences representing the internal self were compared with cues composed of names of body parts representing the external self (Exp I). The body-part cues were more easily reconstructed by Ss at recall than were personal-experience cues. Nevertheless, trait words were better recalled after being related to personal experiences, because trait words and personal experiences were easily associated. In Exp II, concrete nouns were presented rather than trait words, and no difference in recall using the 2 types of cues was found. This occurred because concrete nouns can be easily associated with either personal experiences or body parts. (30 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Why never forgetting a face matters: Visual imagery and social memory.

Tested the hypothesis that persons who tend to form vivid visual images of others have more accurate social memories than those who form relatively nonvivid visual images of others. In Exp I, using 186 undergraduates as Ss, vivid imagers outperformed nonvivid imagers in remembering details concerning the attitudes, activities, and life history of a woman whom they observed being interviewed. Exp II with 154 Ss provided more definitive evidence for the link between visual imagery and social memory by demonstrating that vivid imagers had more accurate memories after seeing an interviewee answer questions, whereas seeing the interviewee had no impact on the memories of nonvivid imagers. Results support the author's hypothesis that the relatively superior social memories of vivid imagers reside in their capacity for visual imagery rather than some covariate of imagery. The discussion considers the impact that imagery processes may have on a variety of social thought processes. (19 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

School applications of the mnemonic keyword method as a study strategy by eighth graders.

Examined the applicability of the keyword method to learning to pair names with facts, and technical terms with their definitions. Ss were 42 8th graders. After 5 training sessions, Ss were able to carry out the sequence of operations constituting the keyword method, including the generation of concrete keywords and of compound images bridging keywords and response terms. Subsequent unprompted tests showed substantially higher performance by trained than by untrained Ss. (11 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Interventions for cognitive deficits in brain-injured adults.

Reviews the state of the art with regard to interventions for disturbances in information processing following brain damage. Emphasis is placed on recent advances in techniques and issues vital to establishing such interventions as credible, legitimate types of treatment. Two series of studies are noted, one of which examines the treatment of spatial neglect in right-brain-damaged people and the other of which cites the development of modules for the improvement of different skills impaired in brain-damaged people. Of particular importance are the development of experiences and knowledge around (a) ecologic issues, (b) remediation in different population groups, (c) emotional problems and their management, and (d) development of an articulated theory of rehabilitation. (49 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Age-related differences in memory as a function of imagery processing.

The effects of aging on imagery production and use (following the learning of concrete and abstract words) and their relations to subsequent memory performance were explored in 2 experiments. Both experiments demonstrated better free recall of concrete than of abstract words (the concreteness effect). Exp 1 showed this superiority to be greater for young Ss only under explicit imagery instructions. Exp 2 revealed that the advantage of concrete over abstract words reflects the use of differential imagery production. The results are discussed in terms of age differences in imagery utilization and the effects of visual processing on recall. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Similarities and differences in block design performance between older normal and brain-injured persons: A task analysis.

Developed an objective scoring system to determine whether right and left hemiplegics differ from normal controls, and from one another, in terms of competence levels, style of performance, constructional deviations, and various rates of activity while attempting to solve block designs. A microanalysis of the wais block design performances of 40 normals, 56 right hemiplegics, and 49 left hemiplegics was conducted. Results indicate that (a) brain-injured ss were inferior to normals in competence, (b) brain-injured ss did not differ from normals in style of performance and in partial competence, (c) right hemiplegic ss differed from left hemiplegic ss on all parameters of performance but competence level. Theoretical and clinical implications are discussed. (29 ref.) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The mnemonic value of orthography for vocabulary learning.

In 2 experiments, the authors examined whether spellings improve students' memory for pronunciations and meanings of new vocabulary words. Lower socioeconomic status minority 2nd graders (M = 7 years 7 months; n = 20) and 5th graders (M = 10 years 11 months; n = 32) were taught 2 sets of unfamiliar nouns and their meanings over several learning trials. The words were defined, depicted, and embedded in sentences. During study periods, students were shown written forms of 1 set but not the other set. Spellings were not present during word recall. Results of analyses of variance showed that spellings enhanced memory for pronunciations and meanings compared to no spellings (ps     

Rehabilitative neuropsychological approach for severe traumatic brain-injured patients.

Points out that individuals who sustain severe traumatic brain injury frequently suffer diminished, lost, or altered intellectual cognitive, social, and emotional functioning that is long lasting. Unfortunately, a significant number of psychologists who see these patients may only view their role as diagnostic rather than rehabilitative and may adhere to a philosophy of "therapeutic nihilism." This attitude appears in part to be based on the long-held assumption that brain damage is permanent and irreversible, on the widespread use of neuropsychological tests that place little emphasis on rehabilitation, on the failure in the past of clinical training programs in psychology to offer training in the rehabilitation of the brain-injured patient, and on the invidious dichotomy frequently made between psychological and organic causes of behavior. A neuropsychological rehabilitative model for the assessment, treatment, and rehabilitation of the brain-injured patient within a private practice setting is presented that emphasizes the quality of the interaction between the patient's strengths and deficits and the demand characteristics of the environment. (28 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Imagery and verbal associative latencies as a function of imagery ability.

Examines RTs of Ss high or low in imagery ability under instructions to elicit a verbal associate or arouse an image to concrete and abstract noun stimuli. 16 high and 14 low imagers were selected from a sample of 77 volunteer undergraduates. Latencies were significantly shorter for high than low imagers, for concrete than abstract words, and for verbal than imagery instructions. 1 interaction showed that imagery latencies were shorter to concrete than to abstract stimuli, whereas the latencies of verbal associations did not differ for the 2 types of words; another revealed that the relative superiority of high over low imagers in reaction speed was greater when the stimuli were abstract. Correlational data suggest that verbal associations may be mediated by both verbal and imaginal processes, thus favoring high imagers in both instruction conditions, and that self-reports of imagery ability can reliably predict imaginal behavior. (French summary) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Exploring a mnemonic debiasing account of the underconfidence-with-practice effect.

Judgments of learning (JOLs) underestimate the increase in recall that occurs with repeated study (the underconfidence-with-practice effect; UWP). The authors explore an account in terms of a foresight bias in which JOLs are inflated when the to-be-recalled target highlights aspects of the cue that are not transparent when the cue appears alone and the tendency of practice to alleviate bias by providing learners with cues pertinent to recall. In 3 experiments the UWP effect was strongest for items that induce a foresight bias, but delaying JOLs reduced the debiasing effects of practice, thereby moderating the UWP effect. This occurred when delayed JOLs were prompted by the cue alone (like during testing), not when prompted by the cue-target pair (like during study). (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The PPVT-R: validity as a quick screen of intelligence in a postacute rehabilitation setting for brain-injured adults

The utility of the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test-Revised (PPVT-R) as a surrogate for the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Test-Revised (WAIS-R) was investigated in 61 brain-injured adult participants in a postacute rehabilitation setting. Idiographic comparison revealed substantial disagreement in clinical classification between the two instruments, and it is concluded that the PPVT-R is not a good surrogate for the WAIS-R for this purpose. In contrast, the PPVT-R was judged an adequate surrogate for the WAIS-R for the purpose of group comparison, as is common in biomedical research. Finally, contrary to prior report, the PPVT-R was demonstrated to measure more than simply Vocabulary. As such, in the absence of independent validation research, perhaps the most parsimonious conclusion regarding what the PPVT-R is measuring is that like each of the various subtests of the WAIS-R, the PPVT-R shares some of the variance of the construct termed intelligence, as well as demonstrates some unique variance that is likely comprised of error and, perhaps, a unique or different facet of intelligence.     

Value self-confrontation as a method to aid in weight loss.

The impact on weight loss of an adaptation of the Rokeach (1973) value self-confrontation method was investigated in a field experiment. This method confronts people who have ranked their own values with information about the value priorities that discriminate between a positive and a negative reference group. A preliminary study revealed that successful weight losers differ from unsuccessful weight losers in valuing "wisdom" more than "happiness." Eighty-seven overweight adults were randomly assigned to one of three conditions: value self-confrontation, group discussion, or nontreatment control. Value self-confrontation subjects lost more weight than the other subjects over 2 months, and this weight loss persisted for an additional year. Changes in value priorities during the first 2 months suggest that weight loss was mediated by an increase in the importance attributed to wisdom relative to happiness. Implications for the theory of value-behavior relations and for practical application in weight loss programs are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Visual versus kinesthetic mental imagery: Efficacy for the retention and transfer of a closed motor skill in young children.

The main purposes of this study were (a) to compare the effects of mental imagery combined with physical practise and specific physical practise on the retention and transfer of a closed motor skill in young children; (b) to determine the mental imagery (visual vs. kinesthetic), which is the most efficient for retention and transfer of a closed motor skill; and (c) to verify the relationship between movement image vividness and motor performance. As for the secondary purpose, it was to compare the effects of gender on motor learning. Participants (n = 96) were selected from 3 primary schools. These participants were divided into 6 groups and submitted to different experimental conditions. The experimental task required the participants to throw, with the nondominant hand (left hand), a ball toward a target composed of 3 concentric circles. The results demonstrated that performance obtained by the mental imagery (visual or kinesthetic) combined with physical practise group was, during the retention phase, equivalent to that produced by the specific physical practise group but significantly superior during the transfer of closed motor skill. These results showed the potential benefits of mental imagery as a retention strategy intended for motor skills and performance enhancement. Such results could be explained by the similarity of 3 principal functional evidences shared by mental and physical practise: behavioural, central, and peripheral (as suggested by Holmes & Collins, 2001). (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Transfer of a mnemonic keyword strategy at two age levels.

80 12- and 80 18-yr-old students learned a list of cities paired with their products. In experimental conditions, Ss were instructed in mnemonic usage to learn the city–product pairings. Control Ss were simply instructed to learn the pairings. Then all Ss were presented a list of Latin nouns and their translations to learn. Spontaneous transfer of the keyword strategy to the Latin task was observed only among 18-yr-olds. However, the 12-yr-olds could transfer the keyword strategy to the new task situation if they were told to "use a technique similar to the one used in the city–product task." Results are interpreted within a developmental elaboration theory framework. (20 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Light touch contact as a balance aid

Canes and crutches are commonly used mobility aids, and most studies of their use have focused on issues equating support with the resulting decrease in force required of the affected limb. Clinicians, however, often observe patients with poor balance control using light touch of surrounding objects and surfaces to stabilize themselves while standing and walking. A series of studies have shown that sensory input to the hand and arm through contact cues at the fingertip or through a cane can reduce postural sway in individuals who have no impairments and in patients without a functioning vestibular system, even when contact force levels are inadequate to provide physical support of the body. This article summarizes these results, which have implications for design considerations of rehabilitation aids. Mobility devices or rehabilitation aids that provide feedback about applied force or enhance existing resolution of applied force changes across the skin surface may lead to new rehabilitation techniques.