Dual-code Theory

Paivio’s idea that memory can be coded in two forms, verbal and imagery, and information coded in both is remembered better than information coded in just one.

Why are concrete words easier to remember?

Concrete nouns (“apple”) get both codes for free, which is part of why they’re easier to remember than abstract ones (“justice”).

Claims about mental imagery:

• Perceptual equivalence: imagery and perception overlap
• Spatial equivalence: imagined space preserves spatial relations
• Transformational equivalence: mental rotation resembles actual rotation
• Structural equivalence: images preserve object structure

Analog vs propositional debate

• Analog view: images are picture-like internal representations
• Propositional view: images are by-products of abstract verbal / symbolic representations

Still unresolved; the honest answer is probably “some of both.”

Related

• Method of Loci
• Demand Characteristics: a lot of imagery research depends on subjective self-report