Date of Award

Spring 5-3-2019

Degree Type

Thesis

Degree Name

MS Experimental Psychology

Department

Psychology

Advisor

Marianne E. Lloyd, Ph.D.

Committee Member

Jeremy Miller, Ph.D.

Committee Member

Kelly M. Goedert, Ph.D.

Keywords

method of loci, object imagery skill, spatial imagery skill, episodic memory

Abstract

The method of loci is an ancient mnemonic technique. It involves imagining information to be remembered in a visual form, mentally placing those items into an imagined environment, and then mentally traveling within this environment to recall the information. Numerous studies have found that this method is robust and powerful, especially when compared to other mnemonic techniques like verbal rehearsal. Neuroimaging studies have found that using the method of loci recruits regions of the brain that involve spatial processing and episodic memory. However, little research has been done to examine the effects of individual imagery skill when using the method of loci. In particular, object and spatial imagery skill have not been examined separately before. I conducted an experiment with a word list recall procedure to investigate imagery skill and performance using the method of loci. My results showed that scores on an object imagery test predicted recall performance with words. The results also showed that scores on a spatial imagery test predicted quality of serial organization of words.

Download

Share

COinS