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Eye movements during visual imagery have a functional role and are related to individual differences in spatial imagery ability

Johansson, Roger LU orcid ; Holsanova, Jana LU orcid and Holmqvist, Kenneth LU (2011) European Conference on Cognitive Science, EuroCog 2011
Abstract
This study investigated eye movements during visual imagery,

under two experimental conditions. Participants

recalled complex pictures from memory while looking at a

blank screen under a condition of free viewing and under a

condition where fixation was maintained in the centre of the

screen. The recall task was to orally describe the picture.

Results showed that, under the condition of free viewing,

eye movements spread out and closely reflected content and

spatial information from the recalled picture. However, the

degree and amplitude of this effect varied among individuals

and had a negative correlation with spatial imagery ability.

... (More)
This study investigated eye movements during visual imagery,

under two experimental conditions. Participants

recalled complex pictures from memory while looking at a

blank screen under a condition of free viewing and under a

condition where fixation was maintained in the centre of the

screen. The recall task was to orally describe the picture.

Results showed that, under the condition of free viewing,

eye movements spread out and closely reflected content and

spatial information from the recalled picture. However, the

degree and amplitude of this effect varied among individuals

and had a negative correlation with spatial imagery ability.

Maintaining central fixation during recall affected and

impaired pictorial recall. Descriptions focused significantly

more on global and general aspects of the picture than on

specific elements and spatial relations, when compared with

the free viewing condition. These findings have important

implications for visuo-spatial reasoning, mental models and

spatial cognition in general. (Less)
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author
; and
organization
publishing date
type
Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding
publication status
published
subject
host publication
In B. Kokinov, A. Karmiloff-Smith, & N. J. Nersessian (Eds.), European perspectives on cognitive science: Proceedings of the European conference on cognitive science EuroCogSci 2011. Sofia: New Bulgarian University Press.
pages
1 pages
conference name
European Conference on Cognitive Science, EuroCog 2011
conference location
New Bulgarian University, Sofia, Bulgaria
conference dates
2011-05-21
project
Thinking in Time: Cognition, Communication and Learning
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
344708ff-5fab-49f6-abdd-f1e0026e4417 (old id 1976200)
date added to LUP
2016-04-04 13:41:58
date last changed
2020-10-15 02:20:03
@inproceedings{344708ff-5fab-49f6-abdd-f1e0026e4417,
  abstract     = {{This study investigated eye movements during visual imagery,<br/><br>
under two experimental conditions. Participants<br/><br>
recalled complex pictures from memory while looking at a<br/><br>
blank screen under a condition of free viewing and under a<br/><br>
condition where fixation was maintained in the centre of the<br/><br>
screen. The recall task was to orally describe the picture.<br/><br>
Results showed that, under the condition of free viewing,<br/><br>
eye movements spread out and closely reflected content and<br/><br>
spatial information from the recalled picture. However, the<br/><br>
degree and amplitude of this effect varied among individuals<br/><br>
and had a negative correlation with spatial imagery ability.<br/><br>
Maintaining central fixation during recall affected and<br/><br>
impaired pictorial recall. Descriptions focused significantly<br/><br>
more on global and general aspects of the picture than on<br/><br>
specific elements and spatial relations, when compared with<br/><br>
the free viewing condition. These findings have important<br/><br>
implications for visuo-spatial reasoning, mental models and<br/><br>
spatial cognition in general.}},
  author       = {{Johansson, Roger and Holsanova, Jana and Holmqvist, Kenneth}},
  booktitle    = {{In B. Kokinov, A. Karmiloff-Smith, & N. J. Nersessian (Eds.), European perspectives on cognitive science: Proceedings of the European conference on cognitive science EuroCogSci 2011. Sofia: New Bulgarian University Press.}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  title        = {{Eye movements during visual imagery have a functional role and are related to individual differences in spatial imagery ability}},
  year         = {{2011}},
}