Ce travail de thèse repose sur la combinaison de deux paradigmes de recherche en psychologie cognitive : la rotation mentale et les transferts intermodaux/inter-tâches. Dans notre première étude (Expériences 1a, 1b, 1c, 2a, et 2b), l'objectif était d'évaluer la dépendance/indépendance des traitements visuel et tactile, lors de tâches de rotation mentale : le Test des Rotations Mentales (Vandenberg & Kuse, 1978) et une tâche élémentaire de rotation mentale (Shepard & Metzler, 1971). En utilisant un plan expérimental intra-sujet, nous avons comparé quatre conditions expérimentales incluant des apprentissages intramodaux : 1. Visuel-Visuel ; 2. Tactile-Tactile, et des transferts intermodaux : 3. Visuel-Tactile ; 4. Tactile-Visuel. Les participants ont ainsi réalisé deux tâches successives dans des conditions sensorielles similaires ou différentes (session 1 et session 2). Nos résultats révèlent que la rotation mentale peut dépendre de processus de traitement des représentations spécifiques à la modalité sensorielle utilisée. Les informations découlant d'une expérience visuelle sont réutilisables dans la condition tactile, alors qu'à l'inverse, nous n'avons observé que très peu de transferts tactiles en condition visuelle. Les traitements visuels et tactiles, sur des objets tridimensionnels complexes, permettent ainsi le développement de stratégies d'imagerie mentale spécifiques (Visuel-Visuel-IM vs. Tactile-Spatial-IM), découlant de différents modes de traitements perceptifs (visuel-global vs. tactile-spatial)... / The work presented in this dissertation is based on the combination of two research paradigms in the field of cognitive psychology: mental rotation and intermodal/inter-task transfer of learning. In our first study (Experiments 1a, 1b, 1c, 2a, and 2b), the objective was to evaluate the processing dependence/independence of visual and tactile information during two mental rotation tasks: the Mental Rotation Test (Vandenberg & Kuse, 1978) and an object mental rotation task (Shepard & Metzler, 1971). Using an intra-subject experimental design, we compared four experimental conditions including intramodal learning: 1. Visual-Visual ; 2. Tactile-Tactile, and intermodal transfer: 3. Visual-Tactile ; 4. Tactile-Visual. Subjects performed two successive tasks in similar perceptual conditions or different perceptual conditions (session 1 and session 2). Our results revealed that mental rotation can depend on treatment processes of mental representations specific to the perceptual modality being used. The information derived from visual prior experience can be used in the tactile condition, whereas we observed few significant tactile transfers in the visual condition. Visual and tactile treatments on complex three-dimensional objects thus permit specific mental imagery strategies (Visual-Visual-IM vs. Tactile-Spatial-IM), derived from different perceptual exploration strategies (visual-global vs. tactile-spatial)...

J.D. Salinger’s ‘A Girl I Knew,’ ‘Just Before the War with the Eskimos,’ and ‘Blue Melody,’ contain key thematic and narratological elements that contribute to the development of character through repeated reference to tactile imagery and through each character’s reaction to the sensations associated with tactile images. Salinger’s descriptions of tactile interaction allow readers to see his characters connected in ways that were increasingly difficult in the 1950’s, where widespread cultural changes contributed to increasing physical and emotional distancing. Critics have argued that “vision” is at the heart of many of Salinger’s characters’ struggles, since they “seek” a level of human connectedness not found in other narratives. However, Salinger's stories do not provide a mere record of observed physical characteristics as some claim; instead, they present concrete physical details that take both the character and the reader beyond sight to touch, in an effort to create the intimate space necessary for redemption. Using theoretical work by critics who focus on tactile imagery pinpoints how Salinger’s characters situate themselves in relation to the world around them and how setting and other narrative mechanics influence character. Salinger’s attention to tactile imagery influences character in a profound way creating a “narrative of immediacy” where closeness is further reinforced through tactile physical descriptions, attention to gesture, and use of conversational popular vernacular.