Abstract
Images are mental representations accommodated by grammatical structures. These structures order sensori-input of information as well as provide for articulated ways of expressing motor sequences associated with images. The psychological process of perception is reflected in the development of paradigmatic structures. The psychological process of action (behavior and its mental representations) is reflected in the development of syntagmatic structures. Forming and expressing imagery requires both paradigmatic and syntagmatic structuring. The former relates to logical issues of identity of objects and to the formation of concepts. The latter relates to the solution of psycho-logical questions of causality through articulation of grammatical roles in sentences. Two issues affecting the formation of a model to account for imagery are examined: (1) The tendency to explain imagery as a result of motor sequences and to utilize performance grammar. (2) The impact of ontogenesis on social processes affecting the logical and psycho-logical concerns facing the person at different stages of development. The grammar of imagery is seen as broader than one of performance. The epistemology of imagemaking does not reflect a linear ontogenetic development which precludes attention to problems of creating the logical structures of an object.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Arnheim, R. (1974). Virtues and vices of the visual media. In Olson, D. R. (ed.),Media and Symbols, University of Chicago, pp. 180–210.
Berlyne, D. R. (1971). Experimental study of aesthetic pleasure: Invited Address.Thirteenth Interamerican Congress of Psychology, Panama City, Panama, December.
Carroll, L. (1896). Jabberwocky. InLooking-Glass House, The Complete Works of Lewis Carroll, Modern Library, New York, p. 153.
Crovitz, H. F. (1970). Project Poe. InGalton's Walk, Harper and Row, New York, pp. 62–77.
Fisher, H. (1973). Logic and language in defenses.J. Theory Soc. Behav. 3(2): 157–214.
Fisher, H. (1976). The language and logic of forming an idea.J. Theory Soc. Behav. 6(2): 177–210.
Guilford, J. P. (1956). The structure of the intellect.Psychol. Bull. 53: 267–293.
Hanson, N. R. (1971). A picture theory of theory meaning. In Toulmin, S. E., and Woolf, H. (eds.),What I Do Not Believe and Other Essays, Reidel, Dordrecht, pp. 3–49.
Kiparsky, P. (1973). The role of linguistics in a theory of poetry.Daedalus 102: 231–244.
Lacey, H. M. (1974). The scientific study of linguistic behavior.J. Theory Soc. Behav. 4(1): 17–51.
MacLeish, A. (1952). Ars poetica. InA Little Treasury of Modern Poetry, Scribners, New York.
McNeill, D. (1974). Semiotic extension. Paper presented at the Loyola Symposium on Cognition, Chicago, April 30.
Osgood, C. E., and Richards, M. R. (1973). From yang to yin to “and” or “but”.Language 49(2): 380–412.
Piaget, J. (1960).The Psychology of Intelligence, Littlefield Adams, Totowa, N.J.
Reid, L. S. (1974). Toward a grammar of the image.Psychol. Bull. 81(6): 319–334.
Ricouer, P. (1970).Freud and Philosophy (translated by D. Savage), Yale University Press, New Haven.
Shotter, J. (1973). Prolegomena to an understanding of play.J. Theory Soc. Behav. 3(1): 47–90.
Suppes, P., and Warren, H. (1974). On the generation and classification of defense mechanisms. Unpublished report.
Vigotsky, L. E. (1934).Thought and Language, Wiley, New York, MIT Press, Cambridge, Mass.
Werner, H., and Kaplan, B. (1963).Symbol Formation, Wiley, New York.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Fisher, H. From object to image to object. J Psycholinguist Res 6, 105–143 (1977). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01074375
Received:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01074375