What is the definition of mental representations? How to measure it?

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Definition of Mental Representations

Mental representations are hypothetical internal cognitive symbols that represent external reality or its abstractions. They enable the mental imagery of things not present to the senses, allowing us to imagine and experience things that have never happened or do not exist.

Measuring Mental Representations

Measuring mental representations is challenging as they are internal cognitive processes. However, researchers use various methods:

Self-report measures: Individuals describe their subjective experiences of mental imagery and representations.

Behavioral tasks: Assessing performance on tasks that require mental representations, such as mental rotation or spatial reasoning.

Neuroimaging techniques: Examining brain activity patterns associated with mental representations using fMRI or EEG.