Eye Movements During Visualizations of Pictures and Verbal Descriptions : An Experimental Investigation of Eye Movements and Mental Images

Abstract: In this paper it is hypothesized that the spatial locations of objects both in a verbal description and from a complex picture are reflected in the eye movements during a visualization of these objects. In four experiments, eye movements were recorded while test subjects recalled objects that were either previously observed in a complex picture or presented in a verbal description. In both cases, the subjects spontaneously looked at regions on a blank screen that reflected the spatial locations of the objects they recalled. These results contribute to evidence that the eyes are connected with the cognitive processes that occur during imagery, and that we indeed have mental images or at least procedures that make us experience mental images. It is also argued that tacit knowledge can not be used as an argument against the results of the experiments.