Visual Perspective in Mental Imagery: Testing an Integrative Model of its Effects on Judgment, Emotion, Goal-Pursuit, and Self-Insight

当人们回忆过去的经历或思考未来的经历时，他们往往会在脑海中看到这些事件的图像。有趣的是，这些图像的视觉角度可以有所不同。人们通常从第一人称的角度在脑海中描绘事件，从他们实际经历事件的视觉角度看待情况。其他时候，人们从第三人称的角度来描绘事件，这样他们就可以从观察者的视觉角度在图像中看到自己。最近的研究表明，意象视角不仅仅是一种现象学上的好奇心：人们用来描绘生活事件的视角会影响随后的判断，感受甚至行为。例如，在PI之前的工作中，调查了2004年美国总统选举中心理意象对投票的影响，发现如果在选举前一天晚上，注册选民被分配使用第三人称而不是第一人称视角来想象自己投票，他们更有可能参加投票。然而，尽管有证据表明意象视角可以影响重要的结果，但人们对它为什么会产生这种影响或如何最大限度地发挥其潜力知之甚少。本研究为理解和利用意象视角的力量做出了理论和实践上的贡献。根据所提出的模型，意象视角影响人们在思考一个事件时的心态。第一人称视角促进了一种体验式思维模式，在这种思维模式中，人们主动地将自己投射到一个事件中，以实现对该特定情况的具体理解。相比之下，第三人称视角促进了一种反思的心态，人们将图像事件置于更广泛的背景下，并将其与他们的一般自我观点和长期目标相结合。反过来，该模型指出，当人们从第一人称视角描绘一个事件时，他们对它的反应是由体验该事件的感觉驱动的，而当他们从第三人称视角描绘它时，他们的反应是由事件在他们整个生活的宏伟计划中的意义驱动的。一组研究为这种模式寻找证据。另外三组研究测试了该模型在控制情绪、实现目标和改善决策方面的实际意义。具体来说，该模型预测，通过唤起一种反思的心态，突出了事件的更广泛的个人相关性，第三人称视角将：1）当人们想到自己的成功和失败时，会放大自豪感，羞耻感和特定类型的遗憾，2）当人们想象与他们的目标相关的某些类型的行动时，会增强对目标的动机和承诺，3）引导人们在对未来做出预测和选择时，更少地依赖直觉，而更多地依赖逻辑上与他们对自己的信念相吻合的东西。在理论层面上，本研究通过提出一个综合框架来整合一组不同的现有研究结果，并为新的预测提供基础，做出了重大贡献。在实践层面上，本研究表明，相对简单的操纵图像的角度来看，人们可以很容易地实现没有特殊的培训，产生功能不同的心态，从而对情绪健康，自我调节和自我洞察力有显着的影响。

When people recall past experiences or contemplate future ones, they tend to see images of those events in their mind's eye. Interestingly, the visual perspective of these images can vary. Often people picture events in their mind's eye from a first-person perspective, looking at the situation from the visual perspective they would have if they were actually experiencing the event. Other times people picture events from a third-person perspective, so that they see themselves in the image from an observer's visual perspective. Recent research shows that imagery perspective is not merely a phenomenological curiosity: The perspective people use to picture life events affects subsequent judgments, feelings, and even behavior. For example, in the PI's previous work investigating the effect of mental imagery on voting in the 2004 US presidential election, registered voters were found to be significantly more likely to turn out to the polls if, on the night before the election, they had been assigned to use the third-person rather than first-person perspective to picture themselves voting. However, despite evidence that imagery perspective can influence important outcomes, little is known about why it has such effects or how to maximize its potential. The present research makes both theoretical and practical contributions to understanding and harnessing the power of imagery perspective. According to the proposed model, imagery perspective affects the mindset people use when contemplating an event. The first-person perspective promotes an experiential mindset in which people imaginatively project themselves into an event to achieve a concrete understanding of that specific situation. In contrast, the third-person perspective promotes a reflective mindset in which people place the imaged event in a broader context and integrate it with their general self-views and long-term goals. In turn, the model specifies that when people picture an event from the first-person perspective their reactions to it are driven by what it felt like to experience the event whereas when they picture it from the third-person perspective their reactions are driven by what the event means in the grand scheme of their life as a whole. One set of studies seeks evidence for this model. Three additional sets of studies test practical implications of the model for controlling emotions, achieving goals, and improving decision-making. Specifically, the model predicts that by evoking a reflective mindset which highlights the broader personal relevance of an event the third person perspective will: 1) amplify experiences of pride, shame, and particular kinds of regret when people think about their own successes and failures, 2) enhance motivation and commitment to goals when people picture certain types of actions relevant to their goals, and 3) lead people to rely less on their gut feelings and more on what logically fits with their beliefs about themselves when making predictions and choices for the future.On a theoretical level, the present research makes a significant contribution by proposing a comprehensive framework to integrate a disparate set of existing findings and provide the basis for novel predictions. On a practical level, the present research suggests how relatively simple manipulations of imagery perspective, which people can readily implement without special training, produce functionally distinct mindsets and thereby have a significant impact on emotional well-being, self-regulation, and self-insight.