Paivio's Dual Coding Theory
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Theory: Paivio’s Dual Coding Theory
Dual Coding Theory (DCT) is a theory of human cognition which looks at the way we store
information in either distinct verbal or non-verbal forms. Essentially, coding language in one
cognitive subsystem of the brain and coding mental imagery within a separate cognitive
subsystem. Dual coding theory also explains how the verbal and non-verbal memory systems can
interact to enable us to form meaning (Sadoski and Paivio, 2001).
Theorist: Allan Paivio
Biography:
Allan Paivio (1925 - ) was born in Ontario, Canada. He gained a Ph.D. in 1959 from McGill
University, Montreal, Quebec. At the University of Western Ontario, London, he was a professor
of psychology (1967-1992) and professor emeritus of kinesiology (from 1992). He was the
president of the Canadian Psychological Association (1974-1975). While an undergraduate, he
won the title of Mr. Canada in 1948 and appeared on the cover of Muscle Power and Your
Physique. He has spent most of his career researching imagery, memory, language, and cognition
resulting in approximately two hundred articles and five books. His most well known work is the
cognition theory known as Dual Coding Theory (DCT). His major literature in dual coding
theory includes Mental Representations: A Dual Coding Approach (1986), Imagery and Text: A
Dual Coding Theory of Reading and Writing (2001), Imagery and Verbal Processes (2002), and
Mind and Its Evolution: A Dual Coding Theoretical Approach (2006) (Stewart, 2008).
Paivio's Dual Coding Theory
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Description of Theory:
Dual coding theory begins with the coding of verbal and non-verbal mental representations
into two separate cognitive subsystems. In this theory, coding refers to capturing the external
world and converting it to internal forms (Sadoski and Paivio, 2001). The basic units of the
verbal and non-verbal coding systems are referred to as logogens and imagens respectively.
Logogens correlate to our verbal representations and inner speech while imagens to our mental
images or imagery. One major aspect of the dual coding theory is how logogens are organized
sequentially while imagens are organized spatially or nonsequentially. This differs from
schemata theory which explains coordination through abstract monitoring mechanisms (Sadoski
and Paivio, 2001). Sequential storage of verbal information or logogens can readily be seen in
our ability to quickly recite the alphabet when starting with a,b,c and so on, but to attempt to
recite backwards becomes a challenging task. An imagen on the other hand is recalled as a whole
image with detailed features. For example, when recalling the image of a personal item such as a
car, the details of the car are formed as one memory including detailed items such as color,
features, size, distinguishing marks, and so forth. In contrast, our image of the car does not build
starting with the headlights, progressing through the body of the car, and finishing at the trunk.
The second major aspect of the dual coding theory is the connections within and between the
verbal and nonverbal memory subsystems. According to Sadoski and Paivio (2001), there are
three distinct forms of processing which he refers to as representational processing, referential
processing, and associative processing. Representational processing takes place when our senses
gather information from the external world and form logogens or imagens for storage into
memory. The activity within the subsystems such as the connections between logogens to
logogens and imagens to imagens takes place through associative processing. The activity
Paivio's Dual Coding Theory
between the subsystems or connections from logogens to imagens or imagens to logogens takes
place through referential processing. The overarching concept of the dual coding theory is that
these subsystems can in theory operate independently, in parallel, or in a connected way to
enable us to develop memories and meaning (Sadoski and Paivio, 2001).
Terry (2006) describes studies where participants were able to remember objects better than
pictures and pictures better than printed names of the objects. He asserts that picture memory is
much better than word memory attributing this to pictures having two or dual encodings, the
visual imagery and the verbal translation of the picture. Sadoski and Paivio (2001) are careful to
point out dual coding is not static. The representations and connections between the two
subsystems are continually strengthened or weakened through our experiences.
Theory Measurement/Instrumentation:
Dual coding emerged from imagery-based mnemonic techniques such as rhyming numbers
with mental images to help with recall. Much of the research in the area of dual coding theory
has included using instrumentation which (a) varied the stimulus materials, (b) varied
instructions to form images or associations, and/or (c) measured individual differences in
imagery and verbal ability (Sadoski and Paivio, 2001). Experiments by Nelson and Brooks
(1973) provided support for dual coding theory by testing recall of subjects shown pictures with
corresponding verbal labels. Subjects displayed a decreased ability to recall pictorial
representations if required to read aloud the verbal labels during acquisition if the verbal labels
had a higher degree of similarity such as parrot and puppet. Pictorial similarities did not affect
acquisition.
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Paivio's Dual Coding Theory
Report Prepared by: Ed Crews
References
Nelson, D. L., & Brooks, D. H. (1973). Functional independence of pictures and their verbal
memory codes. Journal of Experimental Psychology, 98(1), 44-48. doi:
10.1037/h0034299
Sadoski, M. & Paivio, A. (2001). Imagery and Text. Hillsdale: L. Erlbaum Associates.
Stewart, W. (2008). A Biographical Dictionary of Psychologists, Psychiatrists and
Psychotherapists. Jefferson: McFarland.
Terry, W. (2006). Learning and Memory. Boston: Allyn and Bacon.
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