Images That Think: Theoretical Conflicts in Cognitive Psychology

Authors

  • Luísa Soares

    Department of Psychology, Universidade da Madeira, 9000-082 Funchal, Portugal
  • Frank Shifferdecker-Hoch

    2256C.Health Unipessoal Lda, 1269-039 Lisboa, Portugal
  • Inês Santos Silva

    Department of Psychology, Universidade da Madeira, 9000-082 Funchal, Portugal

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.30564/jpr.v7i4.11732
Received: 9 Steptember 2025 | Revised: 28 Steptember 2025 | Accepted: 15 October 2025 | Published Online: 6 January 2025

Abstract

This paper explores the theoretical and empirical foundations of mental imagery and inductive reasoning within cognitive psychology, with a particular focus on their epistemological tensions and functional complementarities. The first part examines the longstanding debate between pictorial and propositional theories of mental representation, highlighting pivotal contributions by Kosslyn, Pylyshyn, Paivio, Shepard, and Cooper. Drawing on neuroimaging, behavioral experimentation, and computational modeling, the paper argues that mental images preserve spatial and perceptual properties and are manipulated in ways that mirror actual perception, thereby supporting the analogical view. These findings are contrasted with symbolic or propositional accounts, which emphasize the abstract, language-like structure of thought. The Kosslyn–Pylyshyn debate is analyzed as a paradigmatic conflict that shaped subsequent empirical methodologies and conceptual assumptions in the field. The second part focuses on inductive reasoning as a probabilistic, experience-driven process that underpins concept formation, categorization, and adaptive learning. The paper investigates the interplay between attention, perception, and memory in constructing conjunctive, disjunctive, and relational concepts. Inductive reasoning is shown to support decision-making in dynamic, uncertain environments through flexible cognitive strategies. Both imagery and induction are examined in their applied dimensions, ranging from clinical psychology and education to AI and neuroscience, where they inform therapeutic tools, instructional design, and cognitive modeling. Methodological insights from neuropsychology and qualitative introspection are integrated to underline the dynamic, multimodal nature of these processes. The paper concludes by proposing that imagery and inductive reasoning are not only theoretically interdependent but also crucial for advancing cognitive science and its practical applications.

Keywords:

Mental Imagery; Inductive Reasoning; Cognitive Processes

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How to Cite

Soares, L., Shifferdecker-Hoch, F., & Santos Silva, I. (2025). Images That Think: Theoretical Conflicts in Cognitive Psychology. Journal of Psychological Research, 7(4), 12–23. https://doi.org/10.30564/jpr.v7i4.11732

Issue

Vol. 7 , Iss. 4 (October 2025)

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Article

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Copyright © 2025 Luísa Soares, Frank Shifferdecker-Hoch, Inês Santos Silva

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This is an open access article under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0) License.

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