FIGURE 7.1 Mentally Scanning Images This is a reduced version of the map used by Stephen Kosslyn and his colleagues (1978) to study the scanning of mental images. After subjects memorized the map, the map was removed. Subjects then mentally visualized the map and scanned from one location to another. As you can see by the average scanning times, it took subjects longer to scan greater distances on their mental images of the map, just as it takes longer to scan greater distances on an actual map.

Source: Data from Kosslyn & others (1978).