María José Pérez-Fabello

Dissociative Experiences and Creativity in Fine Arts Students

Studies on creative personality have revealed that the relationship between personality and creativity remains unclear, and various types of creative thinking have been have been associated with various personality traits. To assess the influence of dissociative experiences on creativity in the context of fine arts education, in which the creative process plays a key role, a sample of fine arts students received a test of creative potential and the dissociative experiences test. The results revealed significant differences in creativity (creative imagination and creative experiences) between students scoring high or low in the number of dissociative experiences. High dissociative experiences scores were associated to high scores in creative imagination and creative experiences, and low scores in dissociative experiences were inversely related to creative imagination and creative experiences. Further studies are required to corroborate these findings.

Psychometric Quality of a Revised Version Vividness of Visual Imagery Questionnaire

In this study, reliability and construct validity of the Vividness of Visual Imagery Questionnaire (VVIQ) and of a revised version, the Vividness of Visual Imagery Questionnaire-2 (VVIQ–2) were assessed with a total of 279 undergraduate psychology students who were also administered other measures of imagery. Cronbach α reliabilities for both the VVIQ and the VVIQ–2 were high. A Pearson correlation between scores on the two versions of the questionnaire was high and similar to correlations with other measures of imagery. Estimates of internal consistency reliability and construct validity were similar for the two versions. New lines of research involving both imagery questionnaires are proposed.

Influence of Training in Artistic Skills on Mental Imaging Capacity

ABSTRACT Artistic creation often involves the use of mental images. This investigation examined the influence of training in artistic skills on mental imaging capacity in a sample of 126 subjects aged between 18 and 23 years. First- and 5th-year fine arts students were compared with regard to their performance in 2 imaging capacity tests (the Visual Elaboration Scale and the Vividness of Visual Imagery Test) and 3 tests of drawing involving spatial representation, transformation of spatial relations, and memory. The students who had undergone a longer period of artistic training performed significantly better on all 5 tests, and all drawing tasks scores correlated with each other. These results indicate that artistic training may enhance imaging capacity.

Factor Structure of the Spanish Version of the Object-Spatial Imagery and Verbal Questionnaire

The reliability and factor structure of the Spanish version of the Object-Spatial Imagery and Verbal Questionnaire (OSIVQ) were assessed in a sample of 213 Spanish university graduates. The questionnaire measures three types of processing preferences (verbal, object imagery, and spatial imagery). Principal components analysis with varimax rotation identified three factors, corresponding to the three scales proposed in the original version, explaining 33.1% of the overall variance. Cronbachs alphas were .72, .77, and .81 for the verbal, object imagery, and spatial imagery scales, respectively.

Experience in Imagery and Imagery Vividness

The aim of this study was to assess the effects of experience in mental imagery, imagery type (normal, bizarre, or mixed), and the repetition of mental imagery formation on imagery vividness. Two experiments were carried out: Experiment 1 consisted of a sample of 152 Spanish compulsory secondary education students who were shown a list of 16 simple sentences describing normal, bizarre, or mixed normal and bizarre situations prior to rating their imagery vividness. The procedure was repeated with the same imagery after a 24-hour interval. Subjects were also asked about their experience in using mental imagery. Subjects with mental imagery experience rated imagery vividness higher than inexperienced subjects. Image vividness scores were higher after repeating imagery formation than in the first imagery vividness ratings. Mixed and bizarre imagery obtained higher imagery vividness scores than normal imagery. In Experiment 2 a sample of 146 students, of the same academic background as in Experiment 1, were shown a list of 16 complex sentences under the same experimental conditions. Significant differences in imagery vividness ratings were observed in terms of experience and repetition of imagery. Ratings were higher for experienced than inexperienced subjects, and in the second ratings following the repetition of imagery formation. No significant differences in imagery vividness ratings were observed between both experimental groups in terms of imagery type. The results are discussed in the context of previous studies, and new lines of research are proposed.

Vividness and Control of Mental Imagery and the Components of In-Depth Drawing

The aim of this study was to examine the associations of control and vividness of mental imagery on performance in several components of in-depth drawing in a sample of fine arts undergraduates. The sample consisted of 56 second-year undergraduates (44 women and 12 men, mean age = 21.18 years) from the Fine Arts Faculty of Vigo University, Pontevedra, Spain. Participants were required to undertake a plastic art assignment focusing on the pictorial representation of space. Participants scoring high on the image control test obtained higher scores on the spatial analysis and in the formal construction of a work than participants with poor image control. Further research involving spatial image performance tests and mental image rotation tests is proposed.

The dissociative experiences of Fine Arts students

The study of dissociative experiences has witnessed significant advancements since the publication of the Dissociative Experiences Scale (DES) for the assessment of dissociation. The DES, a self-report instrument, is one of the most extensively used scales and has become fertile ground for research in clinical and nonclinical populations. The high level of dissociation observed in nonclinical populations has been ascribed to factors such as age, personality and cognitive factors. As certain types of activity or environments have been reported to be conducive to dissociation, the purpose of this study was to assess dissociative experiences in a sample of students from the Faculty of Fine Arts in comparison to a sample of students from the Faculty of Psychology. Significantly higher scores were obtained for students of Fine Arts. High scores were also observed in items that could be associated to a greater tendency towards fantasizing, imagination and absorption. The results are assessed in terms of the sociocognitive model.

Using the Keyword Mnemonics Method Among Adult Learners

The aim of the present study was to assess the influence of word image vividness on the immediate and long-term recall (one-day interval) of words using either the rote repetition learning method or the keyword mnemonics method in a sample of adults aged 55 to 70 years. Subjects learned a list of concrete and abstract words using either rote repetition or keyword mnemonics. Individuals using keyword mnemonics recalled more concrete than abstract words both immediately after learning and after a one-day time interval. In contrast, subjects using the repetition method recalled more abstract than concrete words immediately after learning; however, no difference in the number of recalled concrete and abstract words were found after the one-day interval. These findings are discussed in the context of previous studies, and new lines of research are proposed.

Experiencia en la mnemotecnia y aprendizaje incidental con imágenes normales y raras

This study sought to evaluate the effects of the use of imagery in immediate recollection, at the end of one day and at the end of the week, according to the type of imagery employed: no images, normal image, unusual image and mixed image. For this test, 198 subjects were selected with an average age of 14.4 years, randomly assigned to one of four experimental groups: 1) group with no mental images, 2) group which used normal mental images, 3) group which used unusual images and 4) mixed group. A set of 16 sentences was shown to the groups, each of which contained three words written in block capitals. The subjects had to indicate the relationship between the three words (in the group without any image), or the intensity of the image provoked by each sentence (groups with images). We subsequently conducted an evaluation of the recollection, recognition, false recognition, access to the sentence, the items recalled by sentence and the number of sentences completely recollected. The subjects were also questioned about their experiences in the use of the images. It was ascertained that the experience in the use of the images influenced, at the end of the day and of the week, the recollection, recognition, the number of sentences completely recalled and the access to the sentence. After a week, the groups which were shown unusual or mixed images demonstrated better results in all the dependent variables (with the exception of the items recollected by sentence) than the groups which were shown normal mental images, or no images at all.

Differences in Image Rotation Between Undergraduates From Different University Degrees

The results of research on gender differences in image rotation appear to be fairly consistent, but little is known of the differences in image rotation between individuals from different professions. The aim of this study was to examine differences in gender and differences in the type of undergraduate studies in relation to the number of correct choices in image rotation, the number of incorrect choices in rotation, and the test score (correct choices minus errors). A total of 555 Architecture, Fine Arts, Psychology, and Business study undergraduates (318 women and 237 men) participated in the study. Participants were administered the Mental Rotation Test. The number of correct choices, errors, and correct choices minus errors was calculated. Men obtained more correct choices and better test scores (correct choices minus errors) than women in image rotation, and women made more rotation errors than men. Architecture undergraduates obtained more correct choices in image rotation and a higher test score (correct choices minus errors) than the other undergraduates groups.