Selected Topics in Visual/Spatial Cognition

PSYCH 768

Wed, 4:30-7:10 pm
ARCH LAB, David King Hall 2073

Instructor: Dr. Maria Kozhevnikov

2068 David King Hall

Phone (703)993-2104
e-mail: mkozhevn@gmu.edu
office hours: Wednesdays: 12:00-1:00 pm

Course description:

This course will cover both the basic cognitive research on visual/spatial cognition (e.g., visual imagery, perception, and visual/spatial working memory) as well as applied research on the role of visual/spatial information processing in complex activities, such as spatial navigation, mechanical reasoning, mathematics and science problem solving. 

SYLLABUS

to be updated...

August 29 – Introduction to the course

General overview of the history and directions of imagery research.  Discussion of the syllabus, possible revision of topics/readings.

Theoretical Foundations of Imagery

September 5 – Mental imagery debate

1) Galton, F. (1880). Statistics of mental imagery. Mind, 5, 301–318.
2) Kosslyn, S. M. (1995). Mental imagery.  In S. M. Kosslyn & D. N. Osherson (Eds). Visual cognition: An invitation to cognitive science. (pp. 267-296). Vol. 2. Cambridge, MA, US: The MIT Press.
3) Pylyshyn, Z. W. (2003). Return of the Mental Image: Are there really pictures in the brain? Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 7 (3), 113-118.

Additional literature (not required):

September 12  - Neural Foundation of Imagery. Imagery in relation to Other Cognitive Functions

(Andrew)

1) Kosslyn, S. M. and Thompson, W. L. (2000). Shared mechanisms in visual imagery and visual perception: Insights from cognitive neuroscience. In Gazzaniga, M. S., (Ed.), The new cognitive neurosciences, 2nd edition, pages 975–985. MIT Press, Cambridge, MA.
2) Kosslyn, S. M., Ganis, G., & Thompson, W. L. (2001). Neural foundations of imagery. Nature Reviews Neuroscience, 2, 635 -642.
3) Mellet, E., Petit, L., Mazoyer, B., Denis, M., & Tzourio, N. (1998). Reopening the mental imagery debate: lessons from functional anatomy. Neuroimage, 8(2), 129-139.

Additional literature (not required):

Cabeza, R., & Nyberg, L. (2000). Imaging cognition II: An empirical review of 275 PET and fMRI studies. Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience, 12(1), 1-47.
Farah, M.J. (2000). The neural bases of mental imagery. In M,S. Gazzaniga (Ed), The cognitive neurosciences (2nd ed., 965-974). Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.
Amedi, A., Malach, R., & Pascual-Leone, A. (2005). Negative BOLD differentiates visual imagery and perception. Neuron, 48(5), 859-872.

September 19  - Types of Imagery: Object versus Spatial Imagery

(Kevin)

1) Farah, M. J., Hammond, K. M., Levine, D. N., Calvanio, R. (1988). Visual and spatial mental imagery: dissociable systems of representations. Cognitive Psychology, 20, 439-462.
2) Mazard, A., Tzourio-Mazoyer, N., Crivello, F., Mazoyer, B., & Mellet, E.(2004).  A PET meta-analysis of object and spatial imagery.  European Journal of Cognitive Psychology, 16, 673-695.
3) Ungerleider, L. G., Courtney, S. M., & Haxby, J. V. (1998). A neural system for human visual working memory. Proceedings Of The National Academy Of Sciences Of The United States Of America, 95(3), 883-890.

Additional literature (not required):

Haxby, J. V., Grady, C. L., Horwitz, B., Ungerleider, L. G., Mishkin, M., Carson, R. E., et al. (1991). Dissociation of object and spatial visual processing pathways in human extrastriate cortex. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A, 88(5), 1621-1625.
Goodale, M. A., & Keith Humphrey, G. (1998). The objects of action and perception. Cognition, 67(1-2), 181-207.

September 26 –Individual Differences in Imagery

(Alicia)

1) Blajenkova, O., Kozhevnikov, M. & Motes, M. (2006). Object-spatial imagery: A new self-report imagery questionnaire. Applied Cognitive Psychology, 20, 239-263.
2) Kozhevnikov. M. Kosslyn, S. & Shepard, J. (2005).  Spatial versus object visualizers: A new characterization of visual cognitive style. Memory & Cognition, 33, 710-726.
3 ) Voyer, D., Voyer, S., & Bryden, M. P. (1995). Magnitude of sex differences in spatial abilities: A meta-analysis and consideration of critical variables. Psychological Bulletin, 117(2), 250-270.

Additional literature (not required):

Casey, M. (1996). Gender, sex, and cognition: Considering the interrelationship between biological and environmental factors. Learning & Individual Differences, 8(1), 39-53. 16
Casey, M. (1996). Understanding individual differences in spatial ability within females: A nature/nurture interactionist framework. Developmental Review, 16(3), 241-260. 16.
Halpern, D. F. (1996). Sex, brains, hands, and spatial cognition. Developmental Review, 16(3), 261-270.
Jordan, K., Wustenberg, T., & Heinze, H. J. (2002). Women and men exhibit different cortical activation patterns during mental rotation tasks. Neuropsychologia, 40, 2397-2408. 16

Spatial Transformations

October 3 - HFES conference

October 10 - Spatial ability I: Psychometric and Information-processing Approach

(Sara)

1) Eliot, J. & Macfarlane, S. I. (1983).  An international directory of spatial tests.  Windsor, Berkshire: NFER-Nelson; Atlantic Highlands, NJ: distributed in the USA by Humanities Press, Chapters 1 and 2.
2) Carpenter, P. A. & Just. M. A. (1986).  Spatial ability: An information-processing approach to psychometrics.  In R. J. Sternberg (Ed.) Advances in the psychology of human intelligence (Vol. 3, pp. 221-252). Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum.
3) Lohman, D. F. (1990). Training spatial abilities: Effects of practice on rotation and synthesis tasks. Learning and Individual Differences, 2, 67-93.

Additional literature (not required):

Burton, L. J. (2003). Examining the Relation Between Visual Imagery and Spatial Ability Tests. International Journal of Testing, 3(3), 277-291. 10
Burton, L. J., & Fogarty, G. J. (2003). The factor structure of visual imagery and spatial abilities. Intelligence, 31, 289-318. 10
Dean, G. M., & Morris, P. E. (2003). The relationship between self-reports of imagery and spatial ability. British Journal of Psychology, 94(2), 245-273. 16

October 17 – Types of spatial transformations – object-based (mental rotation) versus egocentric (perspective-taking) transformations

(Jane)

1) Kozhevnikov, M. & Hegarty, M. (2001).  A Dissociation Between Object Manipulation Spatial Ability and Spatial Orientation Ability. Memory and Cognition, 29, 745-756.
2) Parsons, L. M. (2003).  Superior parietal cortices and varieties of mental rotation. Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 7, 515-517. 
3) Zacks, J. M., Vettel, J. M., Michelon, P. (2003). Imagined Viewer and Object Rotations Dissociated with Event-Related fMRI. Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience, 1,5 1002-1018.
4) Kozhevnikov, M., Motes, M. A., Rasch, B., & Blajenkova, O. (2006). . Perspective-Taking vs. Mental Rotation Transformations and How They Predict Spatial Navigation Performance. Applied Cognitive Psychology , 20(3), 397-417.

Additional literature (not required):

Shepard, R. N., & Metzler, J. (1971). Mental rotation of three-dimensional objects.Science, 191,(12), 952-954. 11
Mou, W., McNamera, T., Valiquette, C., & Rump, B. (2004). Allocentric and egocentric updating of spatial memories.Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, and Cognition, 30(1), 142. 11
 
October 24 - Two-dimensional versus three-dimensional spatial representations and transformations

(Matthew & Alexander)

1) Kawamichi, H., Kikuchi, Y., Noriuchi, M.  Senoo A., Ueno S. (2007)._
Distinct neural correlates underlying two- and three-dimensional mental rotations using three-dimensional objects. Brain research, 1144, 117-126.
2) Connor, C. E. (2002). Reconstructing a 3D world. Science, 298(5592), 376-377.
3) Van Orden, K. F., & Broyles, J. W. (2000). Visuospatial task performance as a function of two- and three-dimensional display presentation techniques. Displays, 21(1), 17-24.
4) Perani et al. (2001). Different Brain Correlates for Watching Real and Virtual Hand Actions. NeuroImage, 14, 749–758.

Additional literature (not required):

Dixon, M. W., & Proffitt, D. R. (2002). Overestimation of heights in virtual reality is influenced more by perceived distal size than by the 2-D versus 3-D dimensionality of the display. Perception, 31(1), 103-112.

Parsons, L. M. (1987). Visual discrimination of abstract mirror-reflected three- dimensional objects at many orientations. Perception & Psychophysics, 42, 49-59.

October 31 - Spatial Navigation

(David)

1) Loomis, J. M., Klatzky, R. L., Golledge, R. G., & Philbeck, J. W. (1999).  Human navigation by path integration.  In R. G. Golledge (Ed.), Wayfinding: Cognitive mapping and other spatial processes (pp. 125-151).  Baltimore: Johns Hopkins.
2 ) Blajenkova, O., Motes, M. A., & Kozhevnikov, M. (2005).. Individual differences in the representations of novel environments. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 25(1), 97-109.
3 ) Wang, R. F. & Spelke, E. S. (2000).  Updating egocentric representations in human navigation.  Cognition, 77, 215-250

Additional literature (not required):

Aguirre, G. K., & D'Esposito, M. (1997). Environmental knowledge is subserved by separable dorsal/ventral neural areas. Journal of Neuroscience, 17(7), 2512-2518. 12
Tolman, E. C. (1948). Cognitive maps in rats and men. Psychological Review, 55, 189-208. 13

Nov 7 - Scene recognition and spatial updating

(Donald & Jennifer)

1) Diwadkar, V. A, McNamara, T. P. (1997). Viewpoint dependence in scene recognition. Psychological Science, 8, 302-307.
2) Simons, D. J., Wang, R. F. (1998). Perceiving real-world viewpoint changes. Psychological Science, 9, 315-320.
3) Motes, M. A., Finlay, C. A., & Kozhevnikov, M. (2006). Scene recognition following locomotion around a scene. Perception, 35(11), 1507-1520.

Additional  literature:

Burgess, N. (2006). Spatial memory: How egocentric and allocentric combine. Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 10(12), 551-557.

Visual-Spatial Cognition: Applied Research 

Nov 14 -  Imagery, Giftedness and Creativity

(Jenna)

1) Miller, A. (2000). Insights of Genius: Imagery and Creativity in Sciences and Arts. The MIT Press: Cambridge, MA. (pp. 309- 439).

Additional literature (not required):

Winner, E., & Martino, G. (2002). Artistic Giftedness. In N. Colangelo and G. Davis (Eds.), Handbook of Gifted Education, 3rd edition. (pp. 335-349). Needham Heights, MA.: Allyn and Bacon.

Nov 21 - Thanksgiving break

November 28 - Development of Visual and Spatial Cognition.  Imagery in Different Professions

(Erin)

1) Golarai, G., Ghahremani, D. G., Whitfield-Gabrieli, S., Reiss, A., Eberhardt, J. L., Gabrieli, J. D. E., et al. (2007). Differential development of high-level visual cortex correlates with category-specific recognition memory. Nature Neuroscience, 10(4), 512-522.
2 ) Dror, I. E., & Kosslyn, S. M. (1994). Mental imagery and aging. Psychology and Aging, 9(1), 90-102

Additional literature (not required):

Winner, E., & Martino, G. (2002). Artistic Giftedness. In N. Colangelo and G. Davis (Eds.), Handbook of Gifted Education, 3rd edition. (pp. 335-349). Needham Heights, MA.: Allyn and Bacon.

Dec 8 -  Multimedia learning, collaborative activities and team work involving visual-spatial imagery

(Mark)

1 ) Mayer, R. E. & Sims, V. (1994).  For whom is a picture worth a thousand words?  Extensions of a dual-coding theory of multimedia learning.  Journal of Educational Psychology, 86, 389-401.
2 ) Rosenberg, H. S., & Epstein, Y. M. (1991). Alone together: Collaborative imagery in visual art-making. Journal of Mental Imagery, 15(3), 157-169.
3 ) Woolley, Anita Williams, Hackman, J. Richard, Jerde, Thomas E., Chabris, Christopher F., Bennett, Sean L. & Kosslyn, Stephen M. (2007). Using brain-based measures to compose teams: How individual capabilities and team collaboration strategies jointly shape performance. Social Neuroscience, 2 (2), 1747-0919.

... and also Dec 8 - Imagery and Consciousness. Concluding discussion.

(Christopher)

1)Vakalopoulos, C. (2005). Neural correlates of consciousness: a definition of the dorsal and ventral streams and their relation to phenomenology. Medical Hypotheses, 65(5), 922-931.
2) Zeki, S. (2003). The disunity of consciousness. Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 7(5), 214-218.
3) Schwitzgebel, E. (2002). How well do we know our own conscious experience? the case of visual imagery. Journal of Consciousness Studies, 9, 35-53.

December 19 -  Final paper due – Date and Time of the final exam

Requirements: The class requires active participation in class discussions, leading/presenting one of the discussion topics (making PowerPoint presentation) and writing a final paper. The final paper should be a research proposal (8-10 pages) on one of the imagery topics discussed in the class.

Grading:
20% - class discussion
40% - leading/presenting one of the topics in the class
40% - final paper

All provisions of the GMU Honor Code should be followed in this class.  No plagiarism is allowed. All writing assignments have to be completed individually.

See GMU honor code: http://www.gmu.edu/catalog/9798/honorcod.html#intro

If you are a student with a disability and you need academic accommodations, please see Dr. Maria Kozhevnikov and contact the Disability Resource Center (DRC) at 703-993-2474. All academic accommodations must be arranged through that office.

The add and drop deadline for classes:
Last day to add:  September 11th
Last day to drop: September 28th