Abstract
Three experiments were conducted dealing with letter processing in visual and speech imagery. The first two experiments indicated that speech imagery is more rapid than visual imagery (about six letters per second for speech vs about two letters per second for vision). Postexperimental scaling of subjective fatigue also revealed differences between imagery modalities, with visual imagery conditions consistently more fatiguing than speech conditions. The third experiment dealt with error rates in learning to classify letters on the basis of visual image properties or on the basis of arbitrary letter names. Results showed much more efficient performance for classification based on visual image properties. It was concluded that visual and speech imagery modes differ fundamentally in the manner in which they process information.
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The work reported herein was supported in part by the Research Foundation, Oklahoma State University and in part by a grant from the U.S. Office of Education, Department of Health, Education, and Welfare. The opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect the position or policy of the U.S. Office of Education, and no official endorsement by the U.S. Office of Education should be inferred.
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Weber, R.J., Castleman, J. The time it takes to imagine1. Perception & Psychophysics 8, 165–168 (1970). https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03210196
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03210196