Fleming, M. L. (1977). The picture in your mind. AV Communication Review,
25(1), 43-62.
«Summary. Discussed throughout have been several theoretical issues.
What is particularly important about these theories for the media professional
is that, in contrast to other learning theories, e.g. reinforcement, they address
the basic pictorial vs. verbal characteristics of media and provide a beginning
framework for understanding how these influence learning.
The intent of this article has been to establish and extend interest in imagery
research among media researchers and practitioners. The following conclusions
and observations seem pertinent to this intent and justified by the foregoing
introduction to the imagery literature.
- Imagery theory provides some relatively basic ways to conceive and investigate
the effects of instructional media, both verbal and pictorial, particularly
with reference to the cognitive "fate" of these stimuli as they
are processed, stored, recalled, and used by the learner.
- Imagery processes are currently being intesnively investigated, but are
as yet only partially understood. Evidence to date implicates them most focally
in memory tasks, but suggests they may also function importantly in concept
learning, problem solving, and thinking.
- Imagery research and theory is still controversial, and definitive research
into the basic cognitive role(s) of imagery is difficult to operationalize
and control. Nonetheless, study-by-study and bit-by-bit a coherent and respectable
pattern is beginning to emerge.
- The potential consequences of imagery concepts for instructional media research
and practice are far reaching, in my judgment.» (p. 60)