Ways the Brain Creates Meaning

The goal of this discussion forum is to understand mental imagery and its utility. Watch the videos, Tom Wujec: 3 Ways the Brain Creates Meaning and Neil Burgess: How Your Brain Tells You Where You Are and select one of the following questions:

• Are mental images of events and objects in people’s world the same in content as events and objects they have actually experienced with their senses?
• Are mental images and real experiences processed by the same or different brain structures?
• Is the ability for people to create images in their minds useful?
• How do cognitive psychologists study mental imagery since mental images are sensory impressions that exist solely in the human mind/brain? If you select this question, use the textbook or go to the CogLab to experience one of the procedures/tasks that scientists have used to investigate the phenomenon of mental imagery. Then, select one of the following experiments:
  • Mental Rotation (i.e., how we manipulate objects in our mind to envision a change in perspective before we actually make it)
  • Link Word (i.e., how mental imagery can be used to learn new words).

Each experiment illustrates a procedure/task that is used by scientists to understand mental imagery and its use.  Read the section of the textbook devoted to the selected experiment. Then, consider what participants’ performance on the corresponding task tells you about the nature of mental images, how people use them, and their usefulness. Irrespective of the question you select to answer, be sure to support your answer with evidence from at least one peer reviewed research article.  Your initial post must be a minimum of 300 words.

Guided Response: Use a minimum of one scholarly source found at the Ashford Library or Google Scholar to critically examine the evidence that you have uncovered. Offer a substantial response to at least two other posts written by members of the class.  You may respond to (a) a post that discusses a different question from the one that you have selected, (b) a post that discusses the same question, and (c) an inquiry from your instructor.  Keep in mind that both peers and instructor are members of the class.  In your answers, discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree with the content of each post. Be sure that you cite scientific evidence to support your views. Be sure to follow APA guidelines as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center.  A minimum of 200 words should be used for each response to other posts. Be certain to continue monitoring the discussion board until 5 p.m. (Pacific Time) on Day 7 of the week.