From Mental Imagery to Spatial Cognition and Language

Reviewing the state-of-the-art research in the field of imagery, visuo-spatial memory, spatial representation and language, with special emphasis on their interactions, the volume addresses the issues in depth, presenting new evidence through contributions from both behavioural and neuroimaging studies.

Autorentext

Valérie Gyselinck is Professor of Psychology at Université Paris Descartes, France. Her main research interest is visual-spatial working memory in the construction of spatial representations.

Francesca Pazzaglia is Professor of Psychology at University of Padua, Italy. Her research interests are individual differences in spatial cognition.

Zusammenfassung
The nature of mental images and their relation to language has caused controversy amongst psychologists for years, and the so-called &quote;imagery debate&quote; is still unresolved. Fresh light is now being shed on this topic using recent findings in neuroscience and the development of behavioural studies. Reviewing state-of-the-art research in the field of imagery, visuo-spatial memory, spatial representation and language, with special emphasis on their interactions, the volume shows how, and to what extent, findings from the studies on imagery can positively influence and enrich other psychological areas such as: Working memorySpace and time representationLanguage and embodimentChapter 9, written by Michel Denis, to whom this book is dedicated, analyses more than three decades of research, and outlines the shared scientific journey of friendship and discovery that has developed across various cognitive topics, all of which are linked to, and inspired by, imagery conceptualization.This is the only book to present a critical outline of research on these topics in a single volume, and as such will be invaluable to advanced undergraduates, postgraduates and researchers in such fields as cognitive psychology, neuroscience, computer science and neuropsychology. a

Inhalt

V. Gyselinck, F. Pazzaglia, Introduction Part 1. Visual Imagery and Imagery Processes B. Tversky, Telling Tales, or Journeys G. Borst, S. M. Kosslyn, Scanning Visual Mental Images: Some Structural Implications, Revisited H. D. Zimmer, Visual Imagery in the Brain: Modality-Specific and Spatial, But May Be Without Space Part 2. Working Memory and Imagery R.H. Logie, E. H. Niven, Working Memory: An Ensemble of Functions in Online Cognition J. Gerry Quinn, Theories and Debate in Visuo-Spatial Working Memory: The Questions of Access and Rehearsal Part 3. Language, Space and Action F. Pazzaglia, V. Gyselinck, C. Cornoldi, R. De Beni, Individual Differences in Spatial Text Processing M. L. Noordzij, A. Postma, Language of Space: A Comparison Between Blind and Sighted Individuals M. De Vega, Language and Action: An Approach to Embodied Cognition Part 4. Decades of Images M. Denis, Decades of Images: Subjective Reminiscences of a Shared Scientific Journey.