Visual Mental Imagery

Nathaniel Van Putten: 101142248

CGSC 2001

Prof. Sean Riley

Carleton University
March 22, 2021
 Mental imagery is the gateway to imagination, and an intuitive process that allows

individuals to visualize mere abstract concepts into vivid depictions of the world around them.

The topic of mental imagery has been a spotlight for debate for many cognitive scientists, many

of whom take different stances as to how the mental imagery process is illustrated, whether it be

depictive or descriptive. Based on the conclusions brought forth by numerous academics, it

seems as though the process of visual mental imagery is depictive, and though it is complex in

nature, the very essence of our society is grounded in depictive formatting that reaches a majority

audience.

Taken introspectively, research has suggested that mental imaging appears to be related

to mental pictures, furthering the notion of depictive mental imagery. Moreover, when analysing

the use of working memory, depictive mental imagery is a far more prevalent way of

remembering information and then using that information from working memory in different

situations. Furthermore, research has shown mental images have their contents encoded in

topographically organized regions of the visual cortex, which support depictive representations.

Finally, sensory experience that is relatable to being able to see something that is not necessarily

physically present, and this concept is relevant when dealing with many psychological

experiences. These arguments detail the many intricacies and features surrounding the topic of

depictive mental imagery, and these elements provide a more in-depth analysis that gives way to

abstract logic and reasoning within these arguments. Many have argued that mental imagery is a

combination of both depictive and descriptive processes, however depiction is far more relevant

and provides a more thorough understanding of the visual mental imagery debate.
 When analysing the use of mental imagery in the world today, it is important to note the

research suggesting the correlation between mental pictures that are “painted” when dealing with

the processes that go into mental imagery. To understand this further, behavioral data was

analysed and indicated that participants are able to scan, rotate, and inspect objects in visual

mental images, suggesting certain depictive qualities throughout these mental representations

(Lewis et al., 2011, 261). This data is important when understanding the qualities needed to

depictively describe a mental image. The representations that can be mentally moved and

inspected which would not be possible when using descriptive mental imagery. This is because

words have a more fixated, positional argument that is more difficult to mentally manipulate and

examine.

Take for instance a mental picture of a dog. When using depictive imaging processes, a

dog can be mentally rotated and inspected for depictive qualities such as color of eyes, fur length

and texture, or even the overall size of the dog. However, take this example and use descriptive

imaging for a dog, and more often the dog is merely a word associated to a domesticated animal

prevalent in everyday life. There is less of a depictive image when a dog is described, it is rather

broken down into mere function. These findings were prevalent in the experiments conducted by

Lewis et al., (2011), when they found the results of their experiments demonstrated that

participants’ mental images preserve structural information of the pattern they represent (Lewis

et al., 2011, 270). This finding indicates that these patterns can be integrated in mental imagery

to create composite representation of a visual mental element, ultimately implying that visual

mental imaging is reliant on depictive processes to represent and retrieve information.

Moreover, depictive mental imagery becomes prevalent when examining its role in

working memory. Depictive imaging becomes a superior means of examining, manipulating, and
remembering information in working memory which can then be used in different situations.

Because working memory is considered to be the part of memory that is concerned with

immediate conscious processing, it is safe to assume that working memory has a strong

correlation to the methods surrounding mental imagery. A study by Borst et al. was conducted to

examine the different elements of depictive representation of shapes as they pertain to letters.

They theorized that if imaging were descriptive, the structured visual noise of certain images

should interfere with mentally stored depictive representations (Borst et al., 2012, 204). Visual

mental imagery plays a role in a wide range of everyday activities, many of which are also

relative to working memory. The ability to remember a certain task at work, and ultimately

manipulate the task or problem relies on the working memory of a learned skill and the visual

mental imagery of the abstract qualities required to solve the specific problem. The basic premise

of depictive tasks is to analyse working memory and the relation it has to depictive interference

brought forth by various stimuli.

The research by Borst et al. theorized that if working memory does not rely on the

retention of depictive representations, they could expect a difference in interference levels when

participants were presented with relevant visual stimuli compared to irrelevant visual stimuli

(Borst et al., 2012, 206). This is important when dealing with the concept of mental imagery

because if it is a more descriptive process, irrelevant and unstructured stimuli would have no

affect on the subject’s ability to visualize and complete tasks presented to them. However, if

depictive mental imagery is the primary source of visualization, any addition of irrelevant or

unstructured stimuli could hinder the subject’s ability to properly process the patterns and objects

presented in tasks. Ultimately, the researchers concluded that the result of their findings

implicate the use of depictive representations for mental imagery as it pertains to working
memory (Borst et al., 2012, 215). This has progressive implications for the debate surrounding

visual mental imagery, because it closely relates mental imagery to a depictive correlation to aide

individuals in various tasks in their day to day lives and problem-solving capabilities.

Furthermore, when examining earlier work from Michael Tye details the complexities

surrounding the location and distribution of mental imagery tasks throughout different regions in

the brain and visual cortex. Tye argued that mental images have their contents implicitly encoded

in topographically organized regions of the brain in the visual cortex. This in turn, has been

found to support many simple and advanced processes of depictive mental imagery and

representations (Teng, 1998, 221). This argument highlights the various functions of

topographically organized regions of the brain that have visual depictive qualities. When certain

tasks and objects are presented and the visual cortex intakes the information to encode, the brain

and visual regions relating to depiction become primary regions of use to complete these tasks.

The many steps the visual cortex goes through to gain information of an object, such as

color, size, and other secondary qualities, ultimately concurs to a depiction of that object that is

then incorporated into each specific topographic region (Teng, 1998, 222). Teng goes onto argue

that even though topographical representation is in fact a key part of depictive imagery, it is not

the only part, as there are spatial cues that must be analysed as well. Take for example a visual

representation of a square (Teng, 1998, 224). By taking depictive representations of a square, an

individual can then rotate that square forty-five degrees, and the resulting representation is a

diamond shape taken directly from a square. There is no descriptive input necessary for the

visual mental image change, there needs only a spatial adjustment of the depicted object that

ultimately leads to a new shape with similar configuration. A further argument of this depictive

representation describes the use of auditory functions to depict visual mental imagery. The use of
auditory inputs plays a key role in the processing and linguistic label associated with the

conceptual level of an object. The auditory modalities intake information of an object such as a

rabbit, then ultimately transfer that information to the specific areas of the visual cortex

responsible for depictive representation (Teng, 1998, 224). Though the use of the auditory cortex

is partly descriptive, the translation to a mental image of a rabbit is seen active in the

topographical region of the brain associated with depictive representation (Teng, 1998, 225).

Without the use of depictive mental imagery, the word rabbit would be a meaningless linguistics

operative, void of any true understandable image.

Finally, by analysing the human imagination, one can begin to understand the argument

advocating that visual mental imaging is indeed depictive. When people think of sensory

characteristics associated with things such as a fruit or a moment in time, many people have a

vivid, relivable experience in a very graphic and visual way. The mind’s eye is a characteristic of

sensory experience that is relatable to being able to see something that is not necessarily

physically present, and this concept is relevant when dealing with many psychological

experiences (Pearson, 2019, 625). In the case of post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and

individual has very real and vivid flashbacks to a traumatic experience, captivated by realistic

visual cues and involuntary sensory experiences (Pearson, 2019, 626). These flashbacks are not

merely associated with words and auditory inputs from that traumatic past, but it also

encompasses visual mental imagery of the details in a depictive way.

Alternatively, individuals who have experienced hippocampal damage show spatial

related impairments in visual reconstruction of past events, regardless of trauma. This creates a

disparity between true lived experiences with PTSD survivors and the reconstructed experiences

within the narratives, as those narratives lack spatial consistencies and descriptions (Pearson,
2019, 628). The hippocampal region is primarily found to be responsible for forming complex

and spatially accurate depictions of events, objects, and experiences. While this is not conclusive

evidence proving visual mental imagery is depictive, it does underline the components

responsible for accurate and detailed mental imagery, many of which are brain regions

topographically associated with depictive interpretation. Furthermore, there is additional

evidence to suggest that many people utilize depictive imagery to perform visual memory tasks

and solve problems (Pearson, 2019, 634).

The use of mental imagery becomes relevant when trying to solve a puzzle or analyse a

task that requires a recognizable image associated with each particular outcome. Overall, the use

of depictive imagery is relevant in many forms of psychological research and treatment. Many

individuals use depictive imagery to complete assigned tasks, and many individuals suffer the

effects of depictive imagery through various psychological conditions such as PTSD and

schizophrenia. The wide variety of brain functions and structures contributing to a “painted

picture” in the mind’s eye further the notion that visual mental imagery is indeed depictive, as

these structures are crucial to the formation and comprehension of various mental tasks and

pictures.

In conclusion, the concept of visual mental imagery is complex with many valid

intricacies and arguments covering both sides. However, mental imagery is proven to be more

depictive in nature based on the various topographical, psychological, physical, and memory

related pieces of evidence to support this idea. Though not completely proven, this field has

come a long way in this area of cognitive science and who knows what the future could hold

with the constant evolution for new scientific findings.

 References
Borst, G., Ganis, G., Thompson, W., & Kosslyn, S. (2012). Representations in mental imagery
and working memory: Evidence from different types of visual masks. In Memory &
Cognition, 40(2), 204–217. https://doi.org/10.3758/s13421-011-0143-7
Lewis, K., Borst, G., & Kosslyn, S. (2011). Integrating visual mental images and visual percepts:
new evidence for depictive representations. In Psychological Research, 75(4), 259–271.
https://doi.org/10.1007/s00426-010-0304-5
Pearson, J. (2019). The human imagination: the cognitive neuroscience of visual mental
imagery. Nature Reviews. Neuroscience, 20(10), 624–634.
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41583-019-0202-9
Teng, N. Y. (1998). The depictive nature of visual mental imagery. In The Paideia Archive:
Twentieth World Congress of Philosophy (Vol. 35, pp. 221-227).