Mental imagery skill predicts adults’ reading performance

TY - JOUR

T1 - Mental imagery skill predicts adults’ reading performance

AU - Suggate, Sebastian

AU - Lenhard, Wolfgang

N1 - Publisher Copyright: © 2022 The Authors

PY - 2022/8

Y1 - 2022/8

N2 - Mental imagery is foundational to human experience, lying at the heart of cognition and reading, however research has failed to conclusively investigate and demonstrate a link. Therefore, we conducted three studies measuring adults’ reading and imagery performance. In Study 1, the mental imagery skills of 155 adults were measured using two established self-report measures, namely the Plymouth Sensory Imagery Questionnaire (Psi-Q) and the Spontaneous Use of Imagery Scale (SUIS), and a novel imagery comparison task. In Study 2 (n = 452), a control for speeded processing replaced the SUIS. In Study 3 (n = 236), we added a measure of reading speed. Findings indicate that the objective measurement of mental imagery was associated with reading performance, whereas self-report measures were not. Further, reading comprehension linked more strongly to mental imagery than reading speed did. Findings demonstrate, for the first time, that mental imagery processes are intrinsically linked with reading performance.

AB - Mental imagery is foundational to human experience, lying at the heart of cognition and reading, however research has failed to conclusively investigate and demonstrate a link. Therefore, we conducted three studies measuring adults’ reading and imagery performance. In Study 1, the mental imagery skills of 155 adults were measured using two established self-report measures, namely the Plymouth Sensory Imagery Questionnaire (Psi-Q) and the Spontaneous Use of Imagery Scale (SUIS), and a novel imagery comparison task. In Study 2 (n = 452), a control for speeded processing replaced the SUIS. In Study 3 (n = 236), we added a measure of reading speed. Findings indicate that the objective measurement of mental imagery was associated with reading performance, whereas self-report measures were not. Further, reading comprehension linked more strongly to mental imagery than reading speed did. Findings demonstrate, for the first time, that mental imagery processes are intrinsically linked with reading performance.

KW - Mental imagery

KW - Mental simulation

KW - Reading comprehension

KW - Reading speed

KW - Situational models

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85131074452&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1016/j.learninstruc.2022.101633

DO - 10.1016/j.learninstruc.2022.101633

M3 - Article

AN - SCOPUS:85131074452

SN - 0959-4752

VL - 80

JO - Learning and Instruction

JF - Learning and Instruction

M1 - 101633

ER -