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The effectiveness of imagery utilizing counterconditioning in the modification of attitudes toward elderly persons was explored. Ss were 162 introductory psychology students. Ss were divided into five groups with one group serving as a no-treatment control. The remaining four groups were instructed to imagine one of four types of scenes: I) reinforcing imagery scene with subjects instructed to picture themselves as the old man, 2) reinforcing imagery scene only, 3) neutral imagery scene with subjects instructed to picture themselves as the old man, 4) neutral imagery scene only.The criterion measure was post-test scores on an attitude questionnaire. An analysis of covariance treatment effects when the effects of the pre-test were held constant. No significant correlations were found between number of times Ss reported practicing the scenes and difference scores from pre-test to post-test. No support was given to the counterconditioning hypothesis of attitude change.

This analysis explores the progression of my work over the past three years of study. My initial pursuits involved ideas that revolved around contemporary feminism, however, with time I expanded upon those ideas by exploring other subjects. I realized the connection in all of my work lies in the use of manipulated found imagery, and the desire to release this imagery from the confines of traditional pictorial space. With this discovery, I became free to utilize any manner of subjects, as the subject matter relied heavily on the finding and re-interpreting of these disparate images into the language of paint. Moreover, specific modes of thought, such as Feminism, were allowed to become single threads in a diverse, complex tapestry.

A dissertation submitted to the Faculty of Arts, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree, Master of Arts (Psycho!ogy)(By coursework and Research Report). / Despite the well documented advantageous functions of imagery rehearsal as it pertains to sporting performance, the relationship between relaxation, imagery rehearsal ability and brainwave activity has received relatively little attention from sport researchers. With this in mind, the primary purpose of the present study was to invest'gate the possibility of the existence (If such a triadic relationship and consider the implications that this relationship may have on the development of imagery intervention programmes in Sport Psychology. Two male and seven female undergraduate Physical Education students, aged between 18 and 28 years volunteered to participate in the study. The Vividness of Movement Imagery Questionnaire (VMIQ) was administered to all subjects in order to assess each subject's imagery ability. The subjects were then randomly assigned to either the control or to the experimental group. Two weeks after completing the VMIQ, the subjects completed the VMIQ for a second tim, During the second administration of the VMIQ all subjects were attached to an EEG ~ojectroencephalograph) machine. The strategically placed EEG electrodes were attached for the purpose of assessing whether or not significant changes in alpha brainwave patterns were evident during imagery rehearsal. The experimental group differed from the control group in that the experimental group took part in a relaxation exercise prior to completing the VMIQ for a second time, whilst the control group did not receive the relaxation intervention. The results of the study indicated that there was enhanced alpha brainwave activity in the right occipital lobe during the imagery conditions. Whilst it could be speculated from the research findings that imagery ability and. brainwave activity differed from individual to individual and from one imagery condition to another, these differences were not statistically significant. Although not statistically significant, the differences observed between the pre and post-test scores for the experimental group were however purported to be meaningful since three of'the four subjects from the experimental group showed an improvement on imagery ability following the relaxation intervention. This finding justifies the need for future research into the relationship between relaxation and imagery rehearsal. It was also concluded that whilst some subjects emitted the greatest alpha activity during the same imagery dimensions for which they reported the highest imagery abilitiy scores, other subjects emitted the greatest alpha activity during the same imagery dimensions for which they reported the lowest scores in imagery abilitiy. As such, it could not be concluded from the present research findings that a correlation between imagery ability and alpha brainwave activity actually exists.

Thesis (Ed.M.)--Boston University / The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship of mental imagery to reading comprehension of third grade children. The paragraphs used for the imagery study were taken from the stories tested for reading comprehension. Throughout this study, mental imagery shall be considered to be an image which a child reports after hearing the paragraphs read to him by the examiner. During the testing period there is an opportunity for the child to report the images he perceives, whether it be of a visual, auditory, gustatory, olfactory, or kinaesthetic nature.

Mental representations can be consciously experienced in mental imagery format, and verbal-linguistic format. Mental imagery representations of emotional information can evoke more powerful emotional responses than verbal-linguistic representations of the same information. Biases in mental imagery-based cognition are postulated to play a role in the maintenance of emotional disturbance in depression. Despite growing research, two questions remain: 1) is dysphoria (mild to moderate depression symptoms) associated with mood-congruent bias in the frequency of mental imagery generation; and 2) are such biases related to state emotional experience and emotional response to emotional information in dysphoria? To examine question one, participants varying in levels of dysphoria reported the occurrence of mental imagery in real time under task contexts that were emotional (negative and positive verbal cues) and unemotional (neutral verbal cues). Mental imagery generation was assessed under two task conditions: a) when participants were instructed to generate mental imagery in response to verbal cues (Study 1 & 2); and b) when participants were not instructed to generate mental imagery (or verbal-linguistic representations) during exposure to similar verbal cues (Study 2, 3, & 4). Results from all studies, across both instruction types, showed that dysphoria was associated with a loss of positive bias in mental representation generation, driven by reduced positive representation generation (Study 1, 2 & 4), but also by elevated negative representation generation (Study 1, 2 & 3). Interestingly, evidence of a loss of positive bias was most consistently observed when given neutral verbal cues, but also when given positive verbal cues. However, such dysphoria-linked effects were not disproportionately evident for mental imagery relative to verbal-linguistic representations, when both were allowed to naturally occur in Study 2, 3, & 4. Unexpectedly, dysphoria was associated with reduced tendency to generate negative imagery relative to negative verbal-linguistic representations in Study 2, though this finding was not replicated in Study 3 or Study 4. To examine question two, participants provided state mood ratings in addition to reporting mental representation occurrence during exposure to auditory emotional information (Study 3: verbal cues; Study 4: news stories). Dysphoria and mental representation generation was found to be unrelated to emotional response on negative trials (Study 3 & 4). However, greater occurrence of mental imagery, but not verbal-linguistic representation generation was related to greater positive emotional response on positive trials for individuals with dysphoria (Study 3), and all participants (Study 4). Study 5 analysed existing clinical trial data and found that the vividness of positive future event imagery is related to optimism in depression, such that those able to envision a brighter future are relatively more optimistic, and regain optimism more quickly, than those less able to do so, even when currently depressed. In summary, dysphoria was associated with loss of positive bias in mental representation generation, though such effects were not unique to imagery. Importantly, greater occurrence of mental imagery-based, but not purely verbal-linguistic, representations were associated with greater positive emotional response to positive information, and may hold value as a target for future translational research.

The primary objective of this study was to explore the potential of an airborne infrared scanner for the census of mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus) and elk (Cervus canadensis) in the Intermountain West. Flight altitude was varied in hopes of achieving species separation, and ground studies were conducted, using a hand-held radiometer and captive deer, to find the optimum time of morning to census. The problems and potentialities of infrared imagery scanning systems for censusing big game are discussed and compared to visual aerial census methods.

<p>The intention with this essay is to examine the symbolic meaning of trees in Toni Morrison’s <em>Beloved</em>. Trees are repeatedly mentioned throughout the novel and in this essay the trees are claimed to carry various meanings. A main usage of tree imagery is argued to be in connection to the life and death struggles of the main characters. The relation between tree imagery and slavery, and the effects of this relation, is also analysed.</p>

Imagery is a mental skill that has been researched extensively over the last 40 years (Weinberg, 2008). Experimental and applied investigations have demonstrated that imagery positively affects sport performance as well as a number of psychological characteristics of athletes (Feltz & Landers, 1983; Morris, Spittle, & Watt, 2005). Studies have also revealed that athletes use imagery for multiple functions (both cognitive and motivational) in a variety of sports (both open and closed) and in and out of competition (Hall, Mack, Paivio, & Hausenblas, 1998; Munroe, Giaccobbi, Hall, & Weinberg, 2000). Prior to the present study, however, research had not examined athletes’ experience of imagery in depth. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to explore athletes’ lived experience of using imagery in their sport. To accomplish this goal phenomenological interviews were conducted with ten female collegiate gymnasts (M age = 22.2 yr). After a brief period of introductory conversation each participant was asked to respond to the following open-ended statement: “Think of a time when you have used imagery in your sport and describe that to me as fully as possible.” Follow-up questions were asked only to gain further clarification or to obtain additional details to gymnasts’ comments. All interviews were audio recorded and transcribed verbatim. Qualitative analysis of the transcripts revealed a total of 693 meaning units, which were then grouped into sub-themes and major themes. A final thematic structure revealed five major dimensions that characterized these gymnasts’ experience of using imagery: preparing for movement, mentally preparing, feeling the skill, controlling perspective/speed/effort, and time and place. The most significant findings of the present study were that these gymnasts (a) varied the speed of their imagery (real and slow time), (b) used imagery during a performance bout as well as in preparation for performance, (c) combined physical motion with their imagery to increase the feel of the skill, and (d) felt a persistent need to make their imagery perfect. These results extend the findings of previous imagery research and offer several implications for coaches and practitioners interested in using imagery with gymnasts.