Imagining predictions
Mental imagery as mental emulation
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 23367019 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Samuel T Moulton (0000-0002-7837-6564, Department of Psychology, Harvard University844 William James Hall, 33 Kirkland Street, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA), Stephen M Kosslyn (0009-0006-5122-7186, Department of Psychology, Harvard University844 William James Hall, 33 Kirkland Street, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA) |
| Year | 2009 |
| Volume | 364 |
| Issue | 1521 |
| Pages | 1273-1280 |
| Publication date | 2009-05-12 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B Biological Sciences (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0962-8436 • E-ISSN: 1471-2970 |
| Publisher | The Royal Society (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1098/rstb.2008.0314 |
| PMID | 19528008 |
| PMCID | PMC2666712 |
| OpenAlex | W2141086920 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 60 |
| References cited | 64 |
We argue that the primary function of mental imagery is to allow us to generate specific predictions based upon past experience. All imagery allows us to answer ‘what if’ questions by making explicit and accessible the likely consequences of being in a specific situation or performing a specific action. Imagery is also characterized by its reliance on perceptual representations and activation of perceptual brain systems. We use this conception of imagery to argue that all imagery is simulation—more specifically, it is a specific type of simulation in which the mental processes that ‘run’ the simulation emulate those that would actually operate in the simulated scenario. This type of simulation, which we label emulation, has benefits over other types of simulations that merely mimic the content of the simulated scenario.
Action (physics) · Cognition · Cognitive psychology · Cognitive science · Creative visualization · Electroencephalography · Emulation · Human–computer interaction · Mental image · Motor imagery · Perception · Visualization · Action Observation and Synchronization · Artificial Intelligence · Computer Science · Neuroscience · Psychology · Social Psychology · Visual and Cognitive Learning Processes · Visual perception and processing mechanisms
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| Unique citing works | 60 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 4 |
| Citation span | 2011 - 2026 (16) |
| Citation velocity | current |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 54 |