Can students predict when imagery will allow them to discover the problem solution

Three studies have been carried out to identify to what extent and on what grounds undergraduates realise that visual imagery can be useful to solve a problem. A series of problems had been selected according to the kind of task (logical, mathematical, geometrical, and practical) and to the objective level of imagery ecacy (as reported by previous experiments aimed at assessing the eŒects of mental visualisation on problem solving). Then, by means of diŒerent procedures, students were asked to rate how useful, in their opinion, mental visualisation is in solving each of such problems and to explain why they thought it is useful. Results showed that usefulness scores were highly consistent and were not aŒected by gender, course of study attended, and individual diŒerences in imagery (vividness, control, and cognitive style). Undergraduates rated imagery as useful above all when problems deal with concrete situations, whereas mental images were not perceived as possible aids for abstract or conceptual problems. The subjec-tive evaluation did not correspond to the objective eŒect. However, when a speci®c imagery strategy was described, the discrepancy between the subjec-tive and objective measures decreased. Several ®ndings suggest that transformation and synthesis of mental images can lead to the discovery of emerging meanings that induce insightful ideas or help create new products (Helstrup & Anderson, 1996; Roskos-Ewoldsen, Intons-Peterson, & Anderson, 1993). Why does imagery favour mental discovery? It has been argued that the visual representation of a situation allows the ¯exible manipulation of the elements in unusual ways and that it is a relevant strategy to restructure the material given. It was also proposed that the spatial character of visual images makes them directly accessible to intuitive abilities. Further-Requests for reprints should be addressed to Alessandro Antonietti, Department of Psy