Research Interests:

· Visuo-spatial working memory and mental imagery

· Intrusive and involuntary autobiographical memories

· Environmental Cognition

· Visuo-spatial creative thinking

Lectures for Level 1 ‘Cognitive Psychology’ course are available on WebCT (Available 2^nd semester only)

Lectures for Level 3 ‘Memory and Language’ course are available on WebCT (Available 2^nd semester only)

Current Projects:

Understanding Landscape Change and Environmental Sustainability

The landscape is continually changing as a result of natural forces and human activity shaped by social and economic policy, new technologies, and demographic movement. It is vital for sustainable management that planners, policymakers, and general members of the public understand the impact on the environment of landscape change. Because it is not possible to manipulate entire landscapes experimentally many studies instead focus on developing visualizations and computer simulations that represent the environmental implications of landscape change to policy makers and stakeholders. However, little systematic research has been undertaken to establish how attentional and restorative processes may interact in determining environmental preference. The main goal of this project is to combine theoretical and methodological perspectives from psychology, geography, and topographic science to further empirical understanding of environmental preference.

The project is funded by the Aberdeen Centre for Environmental Sustainability. Project collaborators: Sander van der Jagt (School of Psychology, University of Aberdeen), Tony Craig (Macaulay Institute), Jillian Anable (School of Geosciences, University of Aberdeen)

Cognitive Processes during the Encoding and Retrieval of Emotional Visual Stimuli

There is growing scientific evidence that autobiographical memory involves the extraction of event specific perceptual information from mental representations in the form of mental images (Conway, 2001). Mental imagery and its role during memory is also a growing area of importance in the field of psychopathology (Hackmann & Holmes, 2004). Emotional, intrusive imagery is a feature across a range of psychological disorders, including post-traumatic stress disorder, agoraphobia, and psychosis.

Previous studies have demonstrated that performance of concurrent secondary tasks such as eye or hand movements can reduce the vividness of mental images, but there is considerable debate concerning the cognitive processes that may be involved (Andrade et al., 1997; Brewin & Saunders, 2001). Some researchers have argued that the processes associated with working memory play a crucial role during the encoding and retrieval of mental images associated with autobiographical recollection (Baddeley & Andrade, 2000; Holmes et al., 2004). The main aim of this project is to investigate these cognitive processes during the encoding of emotional visual stimuli, and to establish how manipulating cognitive load on working memory during encoding can impact on the subsequent retrieval of emotional autobiographical images from short and long-term memory.

The project is funded by the Wellcome Trust and the Nuffield Foundation. Project collaborators: Tina Sawyer and Anna Moglia (University of Aberdeen), Emily Holmes (University of Oxford), and Julie Krans (University of Nijmegen).

The Measurement of Visuo-Spatial Working Memory

The structure and function of visual-spatial working memory is currently attracting great interest from cognitive, neuropsychological, and developmental perspectives. Despite evidence that visual and spatial working memory may be dissociable, many studies make use of complex tasks where the relative weight of visual and spatial processing is unknown and which often make demands on general executive resources. This project is using dual-task methodology to assess the utility of newly developed and established tasks to specifically assess either visual or spatial working memory in children or adults. By administering secondary tasks that vary in the extent to which they involve visual, spatial, verbal, and executive processing, it will be possible to determine whether visual and spatial memory are dissociable, how they can be measured in their ‘purest’ form, and the methods by which it is possible to selectively disrupt visual or spatial processing.

The project is funded by the Economic and Social Research Council. Project collaborators: Rebecca Bull (University of Aberdeen) and Colin Hamilton (Northumbria University).

Previous Projects

Terrain Visualisation: Effects of 2D and 3D representations in human wayfinding

The term ‘wayfinding’ refers to navigation through spatially complex environments. If the environment is unfamiliar some form of external representation is often necessary for successful navigation. Increasingly static maps are being supplemented and replaced by computer-based visualisation and multimedia technologies collectively known as Geovisualisation. These developments are driven by an assumption that dynamic 3D computer-based representations provide more effective cognitive support than conventional 2D maps. However, few studies have examined whether this assumption is correct.

The aim of this project is to provide a rich source of data on this topic, and to produce empirical evidence that can allow a better evaluation of the potential impact of geovisualisation for understanding and navigating through mountain environments. The project will address three main objectives: (1) how orienteering expertise interacts with the ability to interpret and make use of 2D maps and 3D computer terrain models, (2) the effectiveness of 3D models as planning and navigation aids in comparison to 2D maps of the same geospatial data, (3) whether encoding of spatial environments using 2D maps and 3D models produces different types of mental representation in memory.

The project is funded by The British Academy. Project collaborators: Michael Wood (Geography Department, University of Aberdeen), David Miller (The Macaulay Institute), and Colin Calder (Aberdeen University Learning Technology Unit).

Autobiographical Recollection and Quality of Life across the Lifespan

Autobiographical memory is essential for good quality of life, and is one of the most unique and important characteristics of human beings. Much previous research on autobiographical memory in older adults has focused on effects of ageing on the number of memories recalled, but relatively little is know about the subjective quality of older adults’ autobiographical recollections in comparison to those of younger adults, nor how age-related changes may impact on older adults’ quality of life.

Recent studies on effects of repeated acts of guided reminiscence in the elderly (i.e., recalling autobiographical memories in a structured way over a period of weeks) have shown improved ratings for quality of life and improved cognitive performance. However, the means by which such improvements occur is unknown, and better understanding is important for the design of more effective intervention strategies. The main objective of this research project is to examine age-related changes in the phenomenological experience of autobiographical recollection, both in terms of subjective vividness during recall and associated emotional response. The research will employ a range of different methods to accomplish this objective, including subjective self-report measures, behavioural measures of memory formation and recollection under experimental conditions, and physiological measures (ERP recording) of autobiographical recollection in younger and older adults.

The project is funded by the Royal Society of Edinburgh/Lloyds TSB. Project collaborators: Paula Cox and Louise Phillips.

Age, Imagery, and Creativity.

This project is addressing the effects of age on creative thinking. The effects of lifespan aging on mental synthesis are of interest, because they have implications for the ability of individuals at different ages to innovate in fields such as science, arts, and design. The project is funded by the Royal Society of Edinburgh/Lloyds TSB. Project collaborators: Rory McLean and Louise Phillips.

An Examination of Mental Synthesis in Five and Ten Year Old Children (2002-2003).

This project examined how five and ten year old children can perform a process known as 'mental synthesis', and how this performance can be influenced by the presence or absence of external support such as sketching. Although there is considerable evidence to suggest that the generation and manipulation of visual mental images can play a fundamental role in creative thought processes, relatively little previous research had examined the developmental nature of such abilities. The project was funded by The British Academy. Research Staff: Audrey Lamb and Calvin Burns.

Perceptions - a journey through how we see things (2001-2002).

'Perceptions – a journey through how we see things' was a multifaceted arts and science project for children at the upper end of primary school and S1 and S2. It aimed to explore how we view the world through the medium of art and dance. It included an exhibition explaining how the brain interprets visual stimuli mounted by Aberdeen University Psychology Department, and a special interactive show exploring the secrets of sight at Satrosphere, the city's hands-on science centre. The project was funded by the Scottish Arts Council. With Audrey Lamb, David Atherton (cultural services education officer at the City Art Gallery), and Anita Clark (artistic director of CityMoves DanceSpace).

Publications:

Pearson, D.G., & Sawyer, T. (in press). Effects of dual task interference on memory intrusions for affective images. International Journal of Cognitive Therapy.

Pearson, D.G. (2007). Mental imagery and creative thought. Proceedings of the British Academy, 147, 187-212.

Pearson, D.G. (2007). Visuo-spatial rehearsal processes in working memory. In R.H. Logie & N. Osaka (Eds.), The Cognitive Neuroscience of Working Memory. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press.

Rudkin, S.J., Pearson, D.G., & Logie, R.H. (2007). Executive processes in visual and spatial working memory tasks. Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology, 60(1), 79-100.

Wood, M., Pearson, D.G., & Calder, C. (2007). Comparing the effects of different 3D representations on human wayfinding. In G. Gartner, W. Cartwright, and M.P. Peterson (Eds.), Location Based Services and TeleCartography. Springer Berlin Heidelberg.

Pearson, D.G. (2006). The episodic buffer: Implications and connections with visuo-spatial research. In T. Vecchi & G. Bottini (Eds.), Imagery and spatial cognition: Methods, models, and cognitive assessment. UK: John Benjamins Publishing Company.

Allen, R., McGeorge, P., Pearson, D.G., & Milne, A. B. (2006). Multiple-target tracking: A role for working memory? Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology, 59(6), 1101-1116.

Law, A. S., Logie, R. H., & Pearson, D. G. (2006). The impact of secondary tasks on multitasking in a virtual environment. Acta Psychologica, 122(1), 27 - 44.

Pearson, D.G. & Logie, R.H. (2004). Effects of stimulus modality and working memory load on mental synthesis performance. Imagination, Cognition, and Personality, 23(2/3), 183-192.

Law, A.S., Logie, R.H., Pearson, D.G., Cantagallo, A., Moretti, E., & Dimarco, F. (2004). Resistance to the impact of interruptions during multitasking by healthy adults and dysexecutive patients. Acta Psychologica, 116, 285-307.

Allen, R., McGeorge, P., Pearson, D., & Milne, A.B. (2004). Attention and expertise in multiple target tracking. Applied Cognitive Psychology, 18, 337-347.

Pearson, D.G. & Sahraie, A. (2003). Oculomotor control and the maintenance of spatially and temporally distributed events in visuo-spatial working memory. Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology, 56A (7), 1089-1111.

Reisberg, D., Pearson, D.G., & Kosslyn, S.M. (2003). Intuitions and introspections about imagery: The role of imagery experience in shaping an investigator's theoretical views. Applied Cognitive Psychology, 17, 147-160.

Pearson, D.G. (2001). Imagery and the visuo-spatial sketchpad. In J. Andrade (Ed.), Working Memory in Perspective. Hove: The Psychology Press.

Pearson, D.G., Alexander, A., & Webster, R. (2001). Working memory and expertise differences in design. In J. Gero, B. Tversky, & T. Purcell (Eds.), Visual and Spatial Reasoning in Design II. Sydney: Key Centre of Design Computing and Cognition.

Pearson, D.G., De Beni, R. & Cornoldi, C. (2000). The generation and transformation of visuo-spatial images in mental discovery. In M. Denis, C. Cornoldi, R.H. Logie, M. de Vega and J. Engelkamp (Eds.), Imagery, Language and Visuo-Spatial Thinking. Hove: The Psychology Press.

Pearson, D.G. & Logie, R.H. (2000). Working memory and mental synthesis. In S. O'Nuallan (Ed.), Spatial Cognition: Foundations and applications. John Benjamins Publishing Company.

Pearson, D.G. (1999). Mental scanning and spatial processes: A role for an inner scribe? Current Psychology of Cognition, 18(4), 564-573.

Pearson, D.G., Logie, R.H., & Gilhooly, K.J. (1999). Verbal representations and spatial manipulation during mental synthesis. European Journal of Cognitive Psychology, 11(3), 295-314.

Pearson, D.G. (1998). Imagery need not be blind to fail: Commentary on Margolis on cognitive-illusion. Psycoloquy, 9(34).

Pearson, D.G. & Logie, R.H. (1998). Visuo-spatial working memory: Fractionation and development. In J. Bideaud and Y. Courbois (Eds.), Image Mentale et Developpement: De la theorie piagetienne aux neurosciences cognitives. Paris: Press Universitaires de France.

Logie, R.H. & Pearson, D.G. (1997). The inner eye and the inner scribe of visuo-spatial working memory: Evidence from developmental fractionation. European Journal of Cognitive Psychology, 9(3), 241-257.

Pearson, D.G., Logie, R.H., & Green, C. (1996). Mental manipulation, visual working memory, and executive processes. Psychologische Beitrage, 38(3\4), 324-342.

Pearson, D.G. (1995). The VVIQ and cognitive models of imagery: Future directions for research. Journal of Mental Imagery, 19(3/4), 167-170.

Click here for photos from the 2001 Working Memory Research Meeting, Pralognan, France