Dual-coding theory

Visual Storytelling by Suhani Gowan.[1]

Dual-coding theory is a theory of cognition that suggests that the mind processes information along two different channels; verbal and nonverbal. It was hypothesized by Allan Paivio of the University of Western Ontario in 1971. In developing this theory, Paivio used the idea that the formation of mental imagery aids learning through the picture superiority effect.[2]

According to Paivio, there are two ways a person could expand on learned material: verbal associations and imagery. Dual-coding theory postulates that both sensory imagery and verbal information is used to represent information.[3][4] Imagery and verbal information are processed differently and along distinct channels in the human mind, creating separate representations for information processed in each channel. The mental codes corresponding to these representations are used to organize incoming information that can be acted upon, stored, and retrieved for subsequent use. Both imagery and verbal codes can be used when recalling information.[4] For example, say a person has stored the stimulus concept "dog" as both the word 'dog' and as the image (appearance, sound, smell, and other sensory information) of a dog. When asked to recall the stimulus, the person can retrieve either the word or the image individually, or both simultaneously. If the word is recalled, the image of the dog is not lost and can still be retrieved at a later point in time. The ability to code a stimulus two different ways increases the chance of remembering that item compared to if the stimulus was only coded one way.

There has been controversy to the limitations of the dual-coding theory. Dual-coding theory does not take into account the possibility of cognition being mediated by something other than words and images. Not enough research has been done to determine if words and images are the only way we remember items, and the theory would not hold true if another form of codes were discovered.[5] Another limitation of the dual-coding theory is that it is only valid for tests on which people are asked to focus on identifying how concepts are related.[2] If associations between a word and an image cannot be formed, it is much harder to remember and recall the word at a later point in time. While this limits the effectiveness of the dual-coding theory, it is still valid over a wide range of circumstances and can be used to improve memory.[2]

  1. ^ Asch, Solomon E.; Ebenholtz, Sheldon M. (1962). "The Principle of Associative Symmetry". Proceedings of the American Philosophical Society. 106 (2): 135–163. JSTOR 985378.
  2. ^ a b c Reed, Stephen K. (12 April 2012). Cognition : theories and applications. Wadsworth, Cengage Learning. ISBN 978-1-133-49228-3. OCLC 1040947645.
  3. ^ Sadoski, Mark; Paivio, Allan, "A Dual Coding Theoretical Model of Reading", Theoretical Models and Processes of Reading, DE: International Reading Association, pp. 1329–1362, doi:10.1598/0872075028.47 (inactive 2024-09-18), retrieved 2022-04-23{{citation}}: CS1 maint: DOI inactive as of September 2024 (link)
  4. ^ a b Sternberg, Robert J (January 2016). Cognitive psychology. Cengage Learning. ISBN 978-1-305-64465-6. OCLC 1037299606.
  5. ^ Pylyshyn, Zenon W. (1973), "What the Mind's Eye Tells the Mind's Brain: A Critique of Mental Imagery", Images, Perception, and Knowledge, Springer Netherlands, pp. 1–36, doi:10.1007/978-94-010-1193-8_1, ISBN 978-94-010-1195-2