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Self‐rated imagery and encoding strategies in visual memory
Author(s) -
Berger Göran H.,
Gaunitz Samuel C. B.
Publication year - 1979
Publication title -
british journal of psychology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.536
H-Index - 92
eISSN - 2044-8295
pISSN - 0007-1269
DOI - 10.1111/j.2044-8295.1979.tb02137.x
Subject(s) - mnemonic , psychology , mental image , coding (social sciences) , cognitive psychology , task (project management) , encoding (memory) , visual memory , cognition , neuroscience , statistics , mathematics , management , economics
The value of self‐rated vividness of imagery in predicting performance was investigated, taking into account the mnemonic strategies utilized among subjects performing a visual‐memory task. Subjects classified as ‘good’ or ‘poor’ imagers, according to their scores in the Vividness of Visual Imagery Questionnaire (VVIQ; Marks, 1972), were to detect as rapidly as possible differences between pairs of similar pictures presented consecutively. No coding instructions were given and the mnemonic strategies used were analysed by studying subjective reports and objective performance measurements. The results indicated that the subjects utilized two main strategies — a detail or an image strategy. The detail strategy was the more efficient. In accordance with a previous study (Berger & Gaunitz, 1977), it was found that the VVIQ did not discriminate between performance by ‘good’ and ‘poor’ imagers. However, among subjects who used the image strategy, ‘good’ imagers performed more rapidly than ‘poor’ imagers. Self‐rated imagery may then have some value in predicting performance among individuals shown to have utilized an image strategy.