TY - JOUR
T1 - Mental imagery skills predict the ability in performing environmental directional judgements
AU - Piccardi, Laura
AU - Bocchi, Alessia
AU - Palmiero, Massimiliano
AU - Verde, Paola
AU - Nori, Raffaella
PY - 2017/7/1
Y1 - 2017/7/1
N2 - Mental imagery plays a crucial role in several cognitive processes, including human navigation. According to the Kosslyn’s Model, mental imagery is subserved by three components: generation, inspection and transformation. The role of transformation, where by individuals recognise, from a different perspective, a place they have already visited, is no longer a matter of debate. However, the role of the other two components when recalling a map from different perspectives, has never been fully investigated. In the present study, we enrolled forty-nine college students and asked them to learn a schematic map and to provide directional judgements aligned or counter-aligned compared to the learnt map orientation. Their mental imagery generation, inspection and transformation skills were also investigated. Results demonstrated that all three visual mental imagery components negatively correlate with errors in providing directional judgements. Specifically, generation assumes a role in aligned directional judgements, while inspection and transformation predict the capability to provide counter-aligned directional judgements. Although all mental imagery components play a role in mentally recalling a map, only the proficiency in inspection and mental rotation can predict the accuracy in changing perspective.
AB - Mental imagery plays a crucial role in several cognitive processes, including human navigation. According to the Kosslyn’s Model, mental imagery is subserved by three components: generation, inspection and transformation. The role of transformation, where by individuals recognise, from a different perspective, a place they have already visited, is no longer a matter of debate. However, the role of the other two components when recalling a map from different perspectives, has never been fully investigated. In the present study, we enrolled forty-nine college students and asked them to learn a schematic map and to provide directional judgements aligned or counter-aligned compared to the learnt map orientation. Their mental imagery generation, inspection and transformation skills were also investigated. Results demonstrated that all three visual mental imagery components negatively correlate with errors in providing directional judgements. Specifically, generation assumes a role in aligned directional judgements, while inspection and transformation predict the capability to provide counter-aligned directional judgements. Although all mental imagery components play a role in mentally recalling a map, only the proficiency in inspection and mental rotation can predict the accuracy in changing perspective.
KW - Changing perspective
KW - Directional judgements
KW - Human navigation
KW - Map learning
KW - Mental rotation
KW - Visual mental imagery
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85018242850&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=85018242850&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1007/s00221-017-4966-8
DO - 10.1007/s00221-017-4966-8
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85018242850
VL - 235
SP - 2225
EP - 2233
JO - Experimental Brain Research
JF - Experimental Brain Research
SN - 0014-4819
IS - 7
ER -