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

Roger Johansson; Jana Holsanova; Kenneth Holmqvist

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

Roger Johansson, Jana Holsanova, Kenneth Holmqvist

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Paper in conference proceeding › peer-review

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.
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.

Original language	English
Title of 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.
Number of pages	1
Publication status	Published - 2011
Event	European Conference on Cognitive Science, EuroCog 2011 - New Bulgarian University, Sofia, Bulgaria Duration: 2011 May 21 → …

Conference

Conference	European Conference on Cognitive Science, EuroCog 2011
Country/Territory	Bulgaria
City	New Bulgarian University, Sofia
Period	2011/05/21 → …

Subject classification (UKÄ)

Information Systems, Social aspects (including Human Aspects of ICT)

CCL: Thinking in Time: Cognition, Communication and Learning
Sahlén, B. (PI), Gärdenfors, P. (PI), Hesslow, G. (Researcher), Lindgren, M. (PI), Strömqvist, S. (PI), Byström, I. (Administrator), Sjöstrand, E. (Administrator), Mårtensson, J. (Researcher), Andersson, A. (Researcher), Hansson, K. (Researcher), Gullberg, M. (Researcher), Johansson, R. (Researcher), Johansson, M. (Researcher), Falck, A. (Researcher), Roll, M. (Researcher), Ståhlberg, F. (Researcher), Horne, M. (Researcher), Blomberg, F. (Researcher), Johansson, V. (Researcher), Nirme, J. (Research student), Gulz, A. (Researcher), van de Weijer, J. (Researcher), Paradis, C. (Researcher), Tärning, B. (Research student), Bramao, I. (Researcher), Sayehli, S. (Researcher), Löhndorf, S. (Research student), Willners, C. (Researcher), Blomberg, J. (Research assistant), Schötz, S. (Researcher), Haake, M. (Researcher), Brännström, J. (Researcher), Grenner, E. (Research student), Holsanova, J. (Researcher), Wengelin, Å. (Researcher), Johnsson, M. (Researcher), Winberg, S. (Researcher), Balkenius, C. (Researcher), Gharaee, Z. (Researcher) & Bååth, R. (Research student)
Swedish Research Council
2008/01/01 → 2018/12/31
Project: Research

Lund University Humanities Lab
Gullberg, M. (Manager)
Lund University Humanities Lab
Infrastructure

Cite this

Johansson, R., Holsanova, J., & Holmqvist, K. (2011). Eye movements during visual imagery have a functional role and are related to individual differences in spatial imagery ability. In 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.

Johansson, Roger ; Holsanova, Jana ; Holmqvist, Kenneth. / Eye movements during visual imagery have a functional role and are related to individual differences in spatial imagery ability. 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.. 2011.

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

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. 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.",

author = "Roger Johansson and Jana Holsanova and Kenneth Holmqvist",

year = "2011",

language = "English",

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.",

note = "European Conference on Cognitive Science, EuroCog 2011 ; Conference date: 21-05-2011",

}

Johansson, R , Holsanova, J & Holmqvist, K 2011, Eye movements during visual imagery have a functional role and are related to individual differences in spatial imagery ability. in 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.. European Conference on Cognitive Science, EuroCog 2011, New Bulgarian University, Sofia, Bulgaria, 2011/05/21.

Eye movements during visual imagery have a functional role and are related to individual differences in spatial imagery ability. / Johansson, Roger ; Holsanova, Jana; Holmqvist, Kenneth.
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.. 2011.

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Paper in conference proceeding › peer-review

TY - GEN

T1 - Eye movements during visual imagery have a functional role and are related to individual differences in spatial imagery ability

AU - Johansson, Roger

AU - Holsanova, Jana

AU - Holmqvist, Kenneth

PY - 2011

Y1 - 2011

N2 - 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.

AB - 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.

M3 - Paper in conference proceeding

BT - 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.

T2 - European Conference on Cognitive Science, EuroCog 2011

Y2 - 21 May 2011

ER -

Johansson R , Holsanova J, Holmqvist K. Eye movements during visual imagery have a functional role and are related to individual differences in spatial imagery ability. In 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.. 2011

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

Abstract

Conference

Subject classification (UKÄ)

Fingerprint

Projects

CCL: Thinking in Time: Cognition, Communication and Learning

Equipment

Lund University Humanities Lab

Cite this