Influence of mental imagery on reading comprehension among young adults

Abstract

This pilot study is to investigate the role of mental imagery in reading comprehension. A correlation study design had been used to find the relationship between mental imagery and reading comprehension. Participants of the study were students from various departments of Pondicherry University and from Pondicherry Engineering College. Overall, the study consisted of 55 participants (male=26, female=29), using the multistage sampling procedure. The study was conducted in three phases: First, an intelligence test was administered to screen the intelligence level of the sample. Next, a Mental Imagery questionnaire was administered to split the sample into two groups; individuals who are high and average in mental imagery. Finally, a reading comprehension task was conducted on both the groups. Correlation analysis was used to find the correlation between mental imagery and reading comprehension. Linear Regression was done to find the prediction of mental imagery in reading comprehension. T-test and ANOVA was done for the demographic details. The results showed that mental imagery plays a role in reading comprehension. 10% of the variance in this study in reading comprehension is due to mental imagery.