Shepard and Metzler's "image rotation" experiment was so influential and important to the study of cognition because it demonstrated
A) how easy mental rotation is for humans.
B) that humans cannot successfully rotate mental images beyond 90 degrees.
C) that humans can only perform mental rotation on "real-world" objects.
D) imagery and perception may share the same mechanisms.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Shepard and Metzler's experiment provided evidence for the idea that mental imagery and perception share common mechanisms. This was demonstrated through participants' ability to mentally rotate 3D images and make judgments about their orientation, which suggested that they were using mental representations that are similar to those used in perception.

Shepard and Metzler's "Image Rotation" Experiment Was So Influential and Important