Object imagery and object identification: Object imagers are better at identifying spatially-filtered visual objects

Vannucci, Manila; Mazzoni, Giuliana; Chiorri, Carlo; Cioli, Lavinia

Abstract

Object imagery refers to the ability to construct pictorial images of objects. Individuals with high object imagery (high-OI) produce more vivid mental images than individuals with low object imagery (low-OI), and they encode and process both mental images and visual stimuli in a more global and holistic way. In the present study, we investigated whether and how level of object imagery may affect the way in which individuals identify visual objects. High-OI and low-OI participants were asked to perform a visual identification task with spatially-filtered pictures of real objects. Each picture was presented at nine levels of filtering, starting from the most blurred (level 1: only low spatial frequencies-global configuration) and gradually adding high spatial frequencies up to the complete version (level 9: global configuration plus local and internal details). Our data showed that high-OI participants identified stimuli at a lower level of filtering than participants with low-OI, indicating that they were better able than low-OI participants to identify visual objects at lower spatial frequencies. Implications of the results and future developments are discussed.

Citation

Vannucci, M., Mazzoni, G., Chiorri, C., & Cioli, L. (2008). Object imagery and object identification: Object imagers are better at identifying spatially-filtered visual objects. Cognitive processing, 9(2), 137-143. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10339-008-0203-5

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Jan 9, 2008
• Online Publication Date: Jan 24, 2008
• Publication Date: May 31, 2008
• Journal: COGNITIVE PROCESSING
• Print ISSN: 1612-4782
• Electronic ISSN: 1612-4790
• Publisher: Springer Verlag
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 9
• Issue: 2
• Pages: 137-143
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10339-008-0203-5
• Keywords: Experimental and Cognitive Psychology; Cognitive Neuroscience; Artificial Intelligence; General Medicine
• Public URL: https://hull-repository.worktribe.com/output/387093