Name: Jennifer Spalten

School of Psychology – Master’s Thesis Defense Meeting

Date: Friday, March 20, 2026

Time:  11:00 am – 12:15 pm

Location:  Virtual

Teams Link: https://teams.microsoft.com/meet

Thesis Chair/Advisor:

Mark Wheeler, Ph.D. (Georgia Tech) 

Thesis Committee Members:

Dingjing Shi, Ph.D. (Georgia Tech) 

Rick Thomas, Ph.D. (Georgia Tech) 

Title: Measuring the vivid mind: Contextual Influences on VVIQ Scores and Their Relationship to Recognition Memory

Abstract: The present study examined how 1) modifications to the Vividness of Visual Imagery Questionnaire (VVIQ) influence reported imagery vividness and 2) how vividness relates to recognition memory for abstract versus concrete words. Three online experiments were conducted. In Experiments 1 and 2, imagery vividness was assessed using the traditional VVIQ and a novel Modified Recreation VVIQ (MR-VVIQ), in which participants visualized previously presented pictures. Each of these experiments also included an encoding task followed by an old/new recognition test. Experiment 3 manipulated visualization conditions by instructing participants to complete the VVIQ with either eyes open or eyes closed. Results showed systematically higher vividness scores on the MR-VVIQ compared to the traditional VVIQ, as well as lower vividness ratings when imagery was performed with eyes open relative to eyes closed or when eye position was unspecified. Imagery vividness was also related to recognition memory in two distinct ways. In Experiment 1, higher VVIQ scores were associated with a more liberal response bias, particularly for abstract words, without corresponding changes in discrimination. In Experiment 2, vividness moderated recognition sensitivity, such that the typical concreteness advantage was attenuated at higher vividness levels. Together, these findings demonstrate that methodological differences in how imagery vividness is measured can substantially influence reported imagery ability. They further suggest that imagery vividness may affect memory performance through multiple mechanisms depending on task demands, including shifts in response bias and context-dependent changes in sensitivity.