The Role of Imaginal Processing in the Retention of Visually-Presented Sequential Motoric Stimuli |
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| Authors: | Lynn Dale Housner |
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| Institution: | Department of Physical and Health Education , The University of Texas , 123 Anna Hiss, Austin , TX , 78712 , USA |
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| Abstract: | Abstract The purpose of the present study was to investigate the role of imagery in the short term retention of complex, visually-presented movement sequences. Twenty-eight high visual imagers (HIGHS) and 29 low visual imagers (LOWS) viewed and subsequently reproduced movement sequences consisting of eight component moves. Subjects reproduced six such sequences in each of two randomly ordered retention conditions: (1) rehearsal and (2) distraction. Half of the HIGHS and LOWS received instructions to employ imaginal processing strategies, while the other half received no such instructions. Analysis of the data indicated that HIGHS exhibited significantly higher free recall scores than LOWS. In addition, free recall of movement for all subjects was significantly disrupted following performance of a visual distraction task. The findings suggest that visual imagery may have played a functional role in the free recall of modeled movements. However, there was no indication that imagery was involved in the retention of serial information. The findings were explained in terms of the differential processing requirements of free and serial recall memory tasks. |
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| Keywords: | visual imagery imagery ability imagery instructions motor memory short term memory observational learning modeling movement sequences coding strategies |
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