Abstract
Two experiments examined the nature of visuo-spatial mental imagery generation and maintenance in 4-, 6-, 8-, 10-year old children and adults (N = 211). The key questions were how image generation and maintenance develop (Experiment 1) and how accurately children and adults coordinate mental and visually perceived images (Experiment 2). Experiment 1 indicated that basic image generation and maintenance abilities are present at 4 years of age but the precision with which images are generated and maintained improves particularly between 4 and 8 years. In addition to increased precision, Experiment 2 demonstrated that generated and maintained mental images become increasingly similar to visually perceived objects. Altogether, findings suggest that for simple tasks demanding image generation and maintenance, children attain adult-like precision younger than previously reported. This research also sheds new light on the ability to coordinate mental images with visual images in children and adults.
DOI
10.1371/journal.pone.0142566
Publication Date
2015-11-12
Publication Title
PLOS ONE
Volume
10
Issue
11
Publisher
Public Library of Science (PLoS)
ISSN
1932-6203
Embargo Period
2024-11-22
First Page
e0142566
Last Page
e0142566
Recommended Citation
Wimmer, M., Maras, K., Robinson, E., Doherty, M., & Pugeault, N. (2015) 'How Visuo-Spatial Mental Imagery Develops: Image Generation and Maintenance', PLOS ONE, 10(11), pp. e0142566-e0142566. Public Library of Science (PLoS): Available at: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0142566
