Vividness Of Imagery Research Articles

Reality-monitoring deficits and visual hallucinations in schizophrenia

The presence of visual hallucinations in addition to auditory hallucinations (V + AH) is associated with poor prognosis in patients with schizophrenia. However, little consideration has been given to these symptoms and their underlying cognitive bases remain unclear. Based on cognitive models of hallucinations, we hypothesized that V + AH are underpinned by an impairment in reality-monitoring processes. The objective of the present study was to test whether reality-monitoring deficits were associated with V + AH in schizophrenia. This study examined reality-monitoring abilities in two groups of patients with schizophrenia: a group of patients with V + AH (n = 24) and a group of patients with AH only (n = 22). Patients with V + AH were significantly more likely to misremember imagined words as being perceived from an external source, compared to patients with AH only (p = 0.008, d = -0.82). In other words, V + AH patients display a larger externalization bias than patients with AH only. One explanation for these results could be that experiencing hallucinations in two sensory modalities may contribute to increased vividness of mental imagery and, in turn, lead to disruption in reality-monitoring processes. This study helps to refine our understanding of the cognitive processes underlying the presence of both auditory and visual hallucinations in patients with schizophrenia.

Externalization Errors of Olfactory Source Monitoring in Healthy Controls—An fMRI Study

Using a combined approach of functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and noninvasive brain stimulation (transcranial direct current stimulation [tDCS]), the present study investigated source memory and its link to mental imagery in the olfactory domain, as well as in the auditory domain. Source memory refers to the knowledge of the origin of mental experiences, differentiating events that have occurred and memories of imagined events. Because of a confusion between internally generated and externally perceived information, patients that are prone to hallucinations show decreased source memory accuracy; also, vivid mental imagery can lead to similar results in healthy controls. We tested source memory following cathodal tDCS stimulation using a mental imagery task, which required participants to perceive or imagine a set of the same olfactory and auditory stimuli during fMRI. The supplementary motor area (SMA) is involved in mental imagery across different modalities and potentially linked to source memory. Therefore, we attempted to modulate participants' SMA activation before entering the scanner using tDCS to influence source memory accuracy in healthy participants. Our results showed the same source memory accuracy between the olfactory and auditory modalities with no effects of stimulation. Finally, we found SMA's subregions differentially involved in olfactory and auditory imagery, with activation of dorsal SMA correlated with auditory source memory.

Artists Excel on Image Activation But Not Image Manipulation Tasks

The ability to envision what is not directly seen is important in the visual arts, since artists do more than reproduce what they see. Such envisioning requires visual imagery abilities. In this study, we examined whether art students ( n = 32) have enhanced visual imagery abilities compared to nonart students ( n = 40). We administered four tasks designed to assess visual imagery. Three tasks assessed the ability to activate mental images: vividness of visual imagery, recognition of out-of-focus pictures, and abstraction; the fourth task assessed the ability to manipulate mental images: mental rotation. We also administered a verbal IQ and a creativity test to determine whether these measures should be included as covariates in our analyses. Results showed that art students excelled on two of the three image activation tasks, vividness of visual imagery and abstraction, but did not excel on the image manipulation task of mental rotation.

The Attentional-SNARC effect 16 years later: no automatic space-number association (taking into account finger counting style, imagery vividness, and learning style in 174 participants).

The Attentional-SNARC effect (Att-SNARC) originally described by Fischer et al. (Nat Neurosci 6(6):555, 2003), consists of faster RTs to visual targets in the left side of space when these are preceded by small-magnitude Arabic cues at central fixation and by faster RTs to targets in the right side of space when these are preceded by large-magnitude cues. Verifying the consistency and reliability of this effect is important, because the effect would suggest an inherent association between the representation of space and that of number magnitude, while a number of recent studies provided no positive evidence in favour of the Att-SNARC and the inherency of this association (van Dijck et al. in Q J Exp Psychol 67(8):1500-1513, 2014; Zanolie and Pecher in Front Psychol 5:987, 2014; Fattorini et al. in Cortex 73:298-316, 2015; Pinto et al. in Cortex, DOI:10.1016/j.cortex.2017.12.015, 2018). Here, we re-analysed Att-SNARC data that we have collected in 174 participants over different studies run in our laboratory. Most important, in a subsample of 79 participants, we also verified whether the strength and reliability of the Att-SNARC is eventually linked inter-individual variations in finger counting style, imagery vividness, and verbal/visual learning style. We found no evidence for the Att-SNARC effect or for the influence of finger counting style, imagery vividness, and learning style on its direction or consistency. These results confirm no inherent link between orienting of spatial attention and representation of number magnitudes. We propose that this link is rather determined by the joint use of spatial and number magnitude or parity codes in the performance of the numerical task at hand.

The human imagination: the cognitive neuroscience of visual mental imagery.

Mental imagery can be advantageous, unnecessary and even clinically disruptive. With methodological constraints now overcome, research has shown that visual imagery involves a network of brain areas from the frontal cortex to sensory areas, overlapping with thedefault mode network, and can function much like a weak version of afferent perception. Imagery vividness and strength range from completely absent (aphantasia) to photo-like (hyperphantasia). Both the anatomy and function of the primary visual cortex are related to visual imagery. The use of imagery as a tool has been linked to many compound cognitive processes and imagery plays both symptomatic and mechanistic roles in neurological and mental disorders and treatments.

Focusing on the future from afar: Self-distancing from future stressors facilitates adaptive coping.

Prior research indicates that visual self-distancing enhances adaptive self-reflection about negative past events (Kross & Ayduk, 2011). However, whether this process is similarly useful when people reflect on anxiety-provoking future negative experiences, and if so, whether a similar set of mechanisms underlie its benefits in this context, is unknown. Here we addressed these questions using a combination of experimental and individual difference methods with adults and adolescents (total N = 2,344). In Studies 1 and 2, spontaneous self-distancing predicted less anxious emotional reactivity among adults and adolescents. This effect was mediated by differences in how vividly participants imagined a future anxiety-provoking event. Study 3 provided causal evidence in an adult sample: Adopting a self-distanced (vs. self-immersed) perspective when reflecting on a future stressor led to lower levels of anxiety as well as lower imagery vividness. Consistent with Studies 1 and 2, reductions in imagery vividness mediated the emotion regulatory benefits of self-distancing. A meta-analysis of all three studies further confirmed these findings across samples. Thus, the current studies extend previous research on the benefits of self-distancing to future stressors. In addition, they highlight a novel mechanism for this relation: imagery vividness. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved).

The expression of schizotypy in the daily lives of artists.

A considerable amount of research suggests that positive schizotypy (cognitive and perceptual aberrations, such as pseudo-hallucinations) is associated with creativity in the arts. In order to better understand how positive schizotypy might be expressed in the creative process, the experience sampling method was used to explore the experiential correlates of schizotypy in a sample of artists. Artists (N = 41) were sampled over a week-long period, answering questions at random intervals that related to mood, cognition, state of consciousness and behaviour, resulting in reports on 2495 experiences. The sample scored significantly higher than normative samples on positive, but not negative, schizotypy, supporting previous research on the role of ‘healthy schizotypy’ in creativity. Multi-level modelling demonstrated that positive schizotypy predicted a particular experiential profile in daily life, characterised by more frequent reports of the flow state, altered experience, internal dialogue, vivid imagery, distractibility, introspection and high self-esteem. Positive schizotypy (but not other dimensions of schizotypy) was also a significant predictor of art-making and inspiration in daily life. Random intercept and slope models suggested that positive schizotypy was associated with greater increases in positive affect and self-esteem during or following art-making, supporting an ‘affective hypothesis’ for the relationship between schizotypy and artistic involvement. This study supports previous research linking positive schizotypy with artistic creativity, and suggests that, in this context, positive schizotypy can be associated with adaptive experiences, including inspiration, flow and self-esteem. Further, art-making may serve a therapeutic function for artists high in positive schizotypy.

Reexamining the Role of Vision in Second Language Motivation: A Preregistered Conceptual Replication of You, Dörnyei, and Csizér (2016)

Researchers have linked vivid mental imagery, particularly of the self in future states, to many desirable motivational outcomes for language learning. We report a preregistered conceptual replication and extension of You, Dörnyei, and Csizér (2016), who found a central motivational role for vision. We review essential considerations in structural equation modeling and discuss how the initial study addressed these, then describe a conceptual replication with a South Korean sample of secondary school learners of English (N = 1,297). Our analysis of the scales from the initial study in addition to second language achievement found support for an alternative model where the Intended Effort scale showed a better fit as a predictor of motivation than as an outcome variable. Our findings suggest the need for greater precision and rigor in structural equation modeling research on second language learning motivation and for more language researchers to take up replication and other open science initiatives.Open PracticesThis article has been awarded Open Data, Open Materials, and Preregistered Research Design badges. All data and materials, along with preregistration for research design and analyses, are publicly accessible through the Open Science Framework at https://osf.io/v8gj4. The study materials are also publicly available via the IRIS database at https://www.iris-database.org. Learn more about the Open Practices badges from the Center for Open Science: https://osf.io/tvyxz/wiki.

Factor structure and test-retest reliability of the Polish version of the Clarity of Auditory Imagery Scale

Vividness of imagery usually refers to the degree of similarity between mental images and corresponding percepts of real objects. One of the recently developed questionnaires, proposed to measure the vividness of auditory imagery, is the Clarity of Auditory Imagery Scale (CAIS). The main goal of the present study was to assess the factor structure, internal consistency, and test–retest reliability of the Polish version of the CAIS. The study was conducted on musicians (N = 39) and non-musicians (N = 40) to establish differences between the two groups in the vividness (or more specifically, clarity) of their auditory images. A combination of the minimum average partial (MAP) test and parallel analysis (PA) was used as a method of establishing the number of factors and provided evidence that the CAIS is one factor questionnaire. Test–retest reliability was measured by the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) between the mean scores obtained in two measurements made over a one-week interval. The test–retest (ICC) obtained between two measurements equaled .85. The ICC value showed satisfactory stability of the measurement of the vividness of auditory images, at least for short time intervals. The internal consistency of the scale was also satisfactory (Cronbach’s α = .87). Summarizing, the psychometric properties of the Polish version of the CAIS indicate that the scale is a reliable measure of the vividness of auditory imagery. Vividness of auditory imagery measured by the CAIS was not influenced by sex or musical expertise factors.

Animate words facilitate noun-noun integration during an imagery task: an event-related potential study.

The animate-inanimate distinction is fundamental to understand our physical world and language processing. Previous studies have shown that animate nouns are more prone to be assigned the actor role and are easier to integrate with a verb than inanimate nouns. On the basis of these characteristics of animate nouns, this study aimed to investigate whether animate nouns could facilitate the noun-noun integration. Animate-inanimate noun pairs and inanimate-inanimate noun pairs were used in an imagery task. With electroencephalogram recording, participants were instructed to integrate the two unrelated nouns in each pair to form an interactive mental imagery. These results showed a larger P600 for the animate-inanimate pairs than the inanimate-inanimate pairs. As the P600 component reflects the integration process, specifically, the more elaborate the encoding, the larger the P600 amplitude. Thus, this larger P600 amplitude indicated that a more vivid mental imagery was formed when integrating an animate noun and an inanimate noun than integrating two inanimate nouns. Thus, these results suggest that animate nouns could facilitate the integration of two unrelated nouns during the imagery task.

Differences between the Influence of Observing One's Own Movements and Those of Others in Patients with Stroke.

We aimed to investigate differences between the influence of observing one's own actions and those of others in patients with stroke with hemiplegia. Thirty-four patients with stroke who had experienced a right or left hemispheric lesion (RHL: n = 17; LHL: n = 17) participated in this study. Participants viewed video clips (0.5× speed) of their own stepping movements (SO) as well as those of others (OO). After viewing the video clips, participants were asked to evaluate the vividness of the mental image of the observed stepping movement using a five-point scale, in accordance with that utilized in the Kinesthetic and Visual Imagery Questionnaire (KVIQ). We also examined changes in imagery and execution times following action observation. When all patients were considered, there were no significant differences between SO and OO conditions. However, in the RHL subgroup, KVIQ kinesthetic subscore and changes in imagery and execution times were greater in the OO condition than in the SO condition. In the LHL subgroup, changes in imagery times were greater in the SO condition than in the OO condition. These findings indicated that viewing the movements of others led to more vivid imagery and alteration in performance in patients with right-sided stroke, when compared to viewing one's own movements. Therefore, the present study suggests that clinicians should consider the side of the damaged hemisphere when implementing action observation therapy for patients with stroke.

Visual imagery during real-time fMRI neurofeedback from occipital and superior parietal cortex

Visual imagery has been suggested to recruit occipital cortex via feedback projections from fronto-parietal regions, suggesting that these feedback projections might be exploited to boost recruitment of occipital cortex by means of real-time neurofeedback. To test this prediction, we instructed a group of healthy participants to perform peripheral visual imagery while they received real-time auditory feedback based on the BOLD signal from either early visual cortex or the medial superior parietal lobe. We examined the amplitude and temporal aspects of the BOLD response in the two regions. Moreover, we compared the impact of self-rated mental focus and vividness of visual imagery on the BOLD responses in these two areas. We found that both early visual cortex and the medial superior parietal cortex are susceptible to auditory neurofeedback within a single feedback session per region. However, the signal in parietal cortex was sustained for a longer time compared to the signal in occipital cortex. Moreover, the BOLD signal in the medial superior parietal lobe was more affected by focus and vividness of the visual imagery than early visual cortex. Our results thus demonstrate that (a) participants can learn to self-regulate the BOLD signal in early visual and parietal cortex within a single session, (b) that different nodes in the visual imagery network respond differently to neurofeedback, and that (c) responses in parietal, but not in occipital cortex are susceptible to self-rated vividness of mental imagery. Together, these results suggest that medial superior parietal cortex might be a suitable candidate to provide real-time feedback to patients suffering from visual field defects.

A look into hallucinations: the relationship between visual imagery and hallucinations in Alzheimer's disease

ABSTRACTIntroduction: We investigated the relationship between visual hallucinations and vividness of visual imagery in patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD).Method: We recruited 28 patients with AD and 30 healthy control participants, matched for age and education. We evaluated proneness towards hallucinations with the Launay–Slade Hallucinations Scale, which includes items assessing visual and auditory hallucinations. We also evaluated vividness of visual imagery with the Vividness of Visual Imagery Questionnaire on which participants had to imagine four images (i.e., imagining the face of a friend, the rising sun, a familiar shop-front, and a country scene) and report the vividness of the images they generated.Results: Analysis demonstrated significant positive correlations between visual hallucinations and vividness of visual imagery in AD patients, however, no significant correlations were observed between auditory hallucinations and vividness of visual imagery in these participants. No significant correlations were observed between hallucinations and vividness of visual imagery in healthy control participants, probably due to the lack of hallucinations in these participants.Discussion: These results demonstrate a selective relationship between the occurrence of visual (but not auditory) hallucinations and the ability to generate vivid visual images in AD.

The content and functions of vivid and soothing visual imagery during music listening: Findings from a survey study.

Studies have suggested that visual imagery forms an important part of the listening experience and might be one of the mechanisms by which music induces emotions in a listener. However, little is known about the content, prevalence, and function of visual imagery during music listening. To that end, an online survey was constructed to explore music-related visual imagery. This included 24 statements about visual imagery based on previous research and an open question regarding the content of their inner images. Several standardized questionnaires (Vividness of Visual Imagery Questionnaire and Goldsmiths Musical Sophistication Index) were included as well to investigate the link to visual imagery in non-musical contexts and across individuals with various levels of musical training. In total, 669 participants provided responses to an online survey. A factorial structure of music and visual imagery statements provided a three-factor structure consisting of vivid, soothing, and disruptive visual imagery, although the actual factor structure was nonidentical between the musically trained and untrained respondents. Separate analyses of factors for musically trained and untrained participants yielded a more parsimonious structure of visual imagery, which consisted of vivid and soothing visual imagery. These two factors consistently exhibited different weights across the items; for musically trained participants, vivid imagery was more related to modulating arousal than for untrained participants. The ability to conjure up vivid visual imagery was only weakly related to the presence of music-related visual imagery. A content analysis of the open question revealed common themes that related to a mixture of concrete visual imagery (landscapes, images of people, and scenes from past events) and abstract visual imagery (shapes, objects, and colors). Implications of these findings for further studies on music-induced emotions are discussed with a focus on a recent constructionist account of emotional meanings in music.

Emotional valence and vividness of imagery predict aesthetic appeal in music.

Emotional valence and vividness of imagery predict aesthetic appeal in music.

Imagery ability of elite level athletes from individual vs. team and contact vs. no-contact sports.

BackgroundIn the sport context, imagery has been described as the condition in which persons imagine themselves while executing skills to deal with the upcoming task or enhance performance. Systematic reviews have shown that mental imagery improves performance in motor tasksMethodsThe aim of the present study was to explore whether imagery vividness (i.e., the clarity or realism of the imagery experience) and controllability (i.e., the ease and accuracy with which an image can be manipulated mentally) differ by sport types (team vs. individual and contact vs. non-contact). Participants were athletes from team contact and non-contact sports (rugby and volleyball, respectively), and individual contact and non-contact sports (karate and tennis, respectively) between the ages of 20 and 33 years (M = 24.37, SD = 2.85). The participants completed the Vividness of Visual Imagery Questionnaire, the Vividness of Movement Imagery Questionnaire-2, and the Mental Image Transformation Tasks.ResultsA 2 ×2 × 2 (gender × 2 contact-no-contact × 2 sport type) between groups MANOVA showed differences in imagery ability by sport type. Practical indications deriving from the findings of this study can help coaches and athletes to develop mental preparation programs using sport-specific imagery.

I Am Conscious, Therefore, I Am: Imagery, Affect, Action, and a General Theory of Behavior.

Organisms are adapted to each other and the environment because there is an inbuilt striving toward security, stability, and equilibrium. A General Theory of Behavior connects imagery, affect, and action with the central executive system we call consciousness, a direct emergent property of cerebral activity. The General Theory is founded on the assumption that the primary motivation of all of consciousness and intentional behavior is psychological homeostasis. Psychological homeostasis is as important to the organization of mind and behavior as physiological homeostasis is to the organization of bodily systems. Consciousness processes quasi-perceptual images independently of the input to the retina and sensorium. Consciousness is the “I am” control center for integration and regulation of (my) thoughts, (my) feelings, and (my) actions with (my) conscious mental imagery as foundation stones. The fundamental, universal conscious desire for psychological homeostasis benefits from the degree of vividness of inner imagery. Imagery vividness, a combination of clarity and liveliness, is beneficial to imagining, remembering, thinking, predicting, planning, and acting. Assessment of vividness using introspective report is validated by objective means such as functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). A significant body of work shows that vividness of visual imagery is determined by the similarity of neural responses in imagery to those occurring in perception of actual objects and performance of activities. I am conscious; therefore, I am.

Subjective vividness of motor imagery has a neural signature in human premotor and parietal cortex

Motor imagery (MI) is the process in which subjects imagine executing a body movement with a strong kinesthetic component from a first-person perspective. The individual capacity to elicit such mental images is not universal but varies within and between subjects. Neuroimaging studies have shown that these inter-as well as intra-individual differences in imagery quality mediate the amplitude of neural activity during MI on a group level. However, these analyses were not sensitive to forms of representation that may not map onto a simple modulation of overall amplitude. Therefore, the present study asked how far the subjective impression of motor imagery vividness is reflected by a spatial neural code, and how patterns of neural activation in different motor regions relate to specific imagery impressions. During fMRI scanning, 20 volunteers imagined three different types of right-hand actions. After each imagery trial, subjects were asked to evaluate the perceived vividness of their imagery. A correlation analysis compared the rating differences and neural dissimilarity values of the rating groups separately for each region of interest. Results showed a significant positive correlation in the left vPMC and right IPL, indicating that these regions particularly reflect perceived imagery vividness in that similar rated trials evoke more similar neural patterns. A decoding analysis revealed that the vividness of the motor image related systematically to the action specificity of neural activation patterns in left vPMC and right SPL. Imagined actions accompanied by higher vividness ratings were significantly more distinguishable within these areas. Altogether, results showed that spatial patterns of neural activity within the human motor cortices reflect the individual vividness of imagined actions. Hence, the findings reveal a link between the subjective impression of motor imagery vividness and objective physiological markers.

Импровизация фольклорной деятельности в музыкальном воспитании старших дошкольников

The article deals with the problem of senior preschool children musical education by means of folk improvisation, which is necessary for the formation of spirituality, morality of young citizens and the solution of national values issues. In modern conditions, the problems of humanization of society, revival of national spirituality, and the formation of a harmonious personality are acute in Ukraine. In solving these problems, a significant role belongs to the level of aesthetic human culture, its involvement in artistic life, that is a powerful factor in the formation of the sensual world of personality. Using creative potential of art, in particular music, one can really enrich the inner world of a person; contribute to the reformation of his spiritual orientations. Music has a powerful influence on the child’s inner world; it affects child’s feelings, excite the little listener, causes corresponding reactions, acquaints with national traditions, customs and ceremonies, beliefs, culture, and carries to the beautiful. The works of musical art deeply penetrate into the soul of a young child, forming an interest in highly artistic music. Vivid musical works that reflect the world of beautiful and versatile feelings of personality, can cause emotional response, influencing the aesthetic perceptions. Meeting the musical and aesthetic culture of peoples positively affects the formation of aesthetic judgments, assessments, the attitude of children of the senior preschool age to the knowledge of themselves, man, society, art. Proceeding from the depths of Ukrainian history, musical folklore has a peculiar “code” of the Ukrainian nation, which was carefully transmitted from generation to generation. Vivid imagery of the folk tunes music language, their performance, containing elements of improvisation, play, dance, recitation, colorful costumes make them accessible for understanding and performance by children of preschool age. The study of the peculiarities and pedagogical possibilities of Ukrainian folk music proves that it is an interesting, simple and accessible musical material for perception, and is a unique means of forming musical improvisation abilities in preschool age. Key words: game activity, musical improvisation, spiritual and cultural values.

Vaĺžyna Mort: A Poet between Two Continents

<p>Walżyna Mort jest jedną z najbardziej utalentowanych współczesnych poetek białoruskich na emigracji. Celem artykułu jest analiza poetycka utworów, które powstały zarówno przed emigracją, jak i po wyjeździe do Stanów Zjednoczonych Ameryki. Wśród przeanalizowanych książek znalazły się: Fabryka śloz (teksty białoruskie i angielskie, 2008), Collected Body (wiersze angielskie, 2011) oraz najnowsze wydanie wierszy białoruskich Epidemija ružau (2017). Omówiono najlepsze wiersze poetki w języku białoruskim oraz angielskim, m.in.: Biełaruskaja mowa I, Biełaruskaja mowa II, Rafału Wajačaku, Fabryka śloz/Factory of Tears, Scena siaredniawiečnaj wajny (pawodle adnajmiennaj karciny Dega), Mužčyny prychodziać jak ličby ŭ kalendary..., Na plažach Flarydy, Nju Jork, Uspaminy, Photograph, A Portrait of a Mother in Fall. Badaniu poddano także prozatorskie utwory Hopniki i Ciotka Anna. W artykule udowodniono, że twórczość Mort charakteryzuje się bogactwem języka, obrazowością, niezwykłą spostrzegawczością oraz ironią w opisie banalności codziennego życia zarówno na Białorusi, jak i w Ameryce. Poetka szczerze pisze o rodzinie i intymnych stronach ludzkiego życia. Niewątpliwie jest jedną z najbardziej wyrazistych i oryginalnych postaci współczesnej literatury białoruskiej.</p>