Chapter 8

MENTAL IMAGES AND IDEAS

1. The part played by past experience: Present thinking depends on past experience--The present interpreted by the past--The future also depends on the past--Rank determined by ability to utilize past experience. 2. How past experience is conserved: Past experience conserved in both mental and physical terms--The image and the idea--All our past experience potentially at our command. 3. Individual differences in imagery: Images to be viewed by introspection--The varied imagery suggested by one's dining table--Power of imagery varies in different people--Imagery types. 4. The function of images: Images supply material for imagination and memory--Imagery in the thought processes--The use of imagery in literature--Points where images are of greatest service. 5. The cultivation of imagery: Images depend on sensory stimuli--The influence of frequent recall--The reconstruction of our images. 6. Problems in introspection and observation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111