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Running Head: VALIDATING PHENOMENOLOGICAL ASPECTS 1 Running Head: VALIDATING PHENOMENOLOGICAL ASPECTS 1 Validating Phenomenological Aspects of the Mental Imagery Experience through Meta- Analysis: Beyond Global Assessment of Imagery Ability Matthew S. Runge Carleton University 2012/2013 A THESIS PRESENTED TO THE DEPARTMENT OF NEUROSCIENCE IN PARTIAL FULLFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE M.Sc. DEGREE VALIDATING PHENOMENOLOGICAL ASPECTS 2 Abstract The phenomenological experience of mental imagery vividness is of increasing interest within the field of mental health science, yet commentators refute its empirical validity as an independent scientific construct. Two assessments of mental imagery vividness were compared through meta-analysis, the Vividness of Visual Imagery Questionnaire (VVIQ), and trial-by-trial ratings of vividness. Each vividness assessment was further divided into behavioural/cognitive or neuroscientific measures. A corpus of 965 peer-reviewed journal articles were retrieved from four major databases and relevant statistical outcomes from each paper were recorded. Effect size estimates were computed for 3579 statistical outcomes, which were categorized as into one of four comparison groups (Vividness and Behavioural/Cognitive, VVIQ and Behavioural/Cognitive, Vividness and Neuroscientific, and VVIQ and Neuroscientific). It was found that the average effect size magnitude for trial-by-trial vividness exceeded that of the VVIQ for behavioural/cognitive, but not neuroscientific measures. However, the average effect sizes magnitude for neuroscientific measures was generally greater than behavioural/cognitive ones. Additionally, the average effect sizes magnitude for trial-by-trial vividness ratings was generally greater than the VVIQ. It is suggested that trial-by-trial ratings, in conjunction with neuroscientific measurement, may provide a more precise and reliable measure of mental imagery vividness. Despite face validity, unique observations correlating trial-by-trial vividness ratings with the VVIQ were weak to moderate on average. Theoretical considerations on the empirical validity of the construct of vividness are discussed. Keywords: VVIQ, vividness, neuroimaging, meta-analysis VALIDATING PHENOMENOLOGICAL ASPECTS 3 Acknowledgements The author would like to take this opportunity to personally acknowledge the many and mighty contributors whom facilitated the current research—may the force be with them always. First and foremost, the persistent and untiring guidance of my supervisor, colleague and friend Dr. Amedeo D‘Angiulli has been indispensible. Thank you for your courageous insights, and persistent teaching. For the unbelievable precedent established in the early stages of this project—a hat tip to Aldrich Chan and Val Bakhilau. For their steadfastness and professional example—a special thanks to my committee members Alfonso Abizaid and Matthew Holahan. Additional thanks to Shawn Hayley and Jim Davies for their participation in this project as well. To all members of the scientific community, I have said it before, and I‘ll say it again: ―Did you know Voltaire was the first to suggest that the universe was created by a gigantic explosion..., and that Goethe was the first to suggest that spiral nebulae were swirling masses of stars?... We now call them galaxies. It is kind of funny how often new concepts of science find their first tenets and forms of expression in the arts. So..., did Beethoven do physics on the side‖? The Man from Earth (Wilkinson, 2007) VALIDATING PHENOMENOLOGICAL ASPECTS 4 Table of Contents Abstract............................................................................................................................................2 Acknowledgements..........................................................................................................................3 Table of Contents.............................................................................................................................4 List of Tables...................................................................................................................................6 List of Figures..................................................................................................................................7 List of Equations..............................................................................................................................8 List of Appendices...........................................................................................................................9 Validating Phenomenological Aspects of the Mental Imagery Experience through Meta- Analysis: Beyond Global Assessments of Imagery Ability...........................................................10 Historical Background.......................................................................................................10 Mental Imagery as an Adjunct in the Treatment of Neuropathology................................14 The Present Study..............................................................................................................20 Method...........................................................................................................................................24 Sampling Methodology......................................................................................................24 Data Trimming and Statistical Analysis............................................................................27 Results............................................................................................................................................29 Descriptive Statistics and Assumptions.............................................................................29 VALIDATING PHENOMENOLOGICAL ASPECTS 5 Non-Parametric Analysis...................................................................................................30 Parametric Analysis...........................................................................................................31 Non-Parametric Analysis (Outliers Removed)..................................................................35 Parametric Analyses (Outliers Removed)..........................................................................35 Unique Observations.........................................................................................................38 Discussion......................................................................................................................................39 Interpretation of Results....................................................................................................39 Appropriateness of the Meta-Analytic Model....................................................................42 Theoretical Considerations and Future Directions...........................................................49 Conclusions........................................................................................................................53 References......................................................................................................................................55 VALIDATING PHENOMENOLOGICAL ASPECTS 6 List of Tables Table 1: Descriptive statistics for comparison groups (untransformed absolute Zr)....................30 Table 2: Descriptive statistics for comparison groups (transformed absolute Zr)........................31 Table 3: Descriptive statistics for comparison groups (transformed absolute Zr no outliers)......34 VALIDATING PHENOMENOLOGICAL ASPECTS 7 List of Figures Figure 1: Prototypical paradigm for measuring vividness on a trial-by-trial basis........................12 Figure 2: Mean Transformed Zr for Rating collapsed across Measure..........................................33 Figure 3: Mean Transformed Zr for Measure collapsed across Rating..........................................34 Figure 4: Mean Transformed Zr for Rating collapsed across Measure..........................................37 Figure 5: Mean Transformed Zr for Measure collapsed across Rating..........................................38 VALIDATING PHENOMENOLOGICAL ASPECTS 8 List of Equations Equation 1: Fisher‘s transformation for effect size r.....................................................................28 Equation 2: Calculation of Fail-safe N for Cohen‘s d...................................................................45 Equation 3: Calculation of Cohen‘s d from effect size rfor Equation 2........................................45 VALIDATING PHENOMENOLOGICAL ASPECTS 9 List of Appendices Appendix A: The VVIQ.................................................................................................................71 Appendix B: Formulae for the Conversion of Test Statistics to Standard Effect Size r...............72 Appendix C: Complete Meta-Analysis Reference List.................................................................73 VALIDATING PHENOMENOLOGICAL ASPECTS 10 Validating Phenomenological Aspects of the Mental Imagery Experience through Meta- Analysis: Beyond Global Assessments of Imagery Ability Historical Background Mental images or mental imagery refers to the subjective experience of a percept in the absence of a relevant physical stimulus (Hebb, 1968). In spite of the fact that there have been major debates about the underlying nature and the specific format of imagery (e.g., Pylyshyn, 2002; Kosslyn, Thompson & Ganis, 2006), in this context these debates are irrelevant since no one denies the subjective phenomenological
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