RUI: Guided Imagery And Memory Errors: Identifying Basic Mechanisms by Testing the Effects of Script Author and Imagery Content

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Research confirms that guided imagery (e.g., asking people to visualize a scene in a park in a particular way) may lead people to report aspects of events that never occurred or to report entire episodes that were only experienced in thought. How does guided imagery result in these memory errors? Is the act of generating an image the culprit? Is it the vividness of the images? Or is it possible that the way in which the images are induced is crucial for producing the deleterious effects on memory? An NSF-funded research project conducted by Dr. Mary Ann Foley at Skidmore College will determine the extent to which guided imagery may result in costs (memory errors) or benefits (improved memory accuracy). The research will attempt to disentangle the complex ways in which guided imagery may affect memory. In a series of experiments, after generating images of complex scenes involving plausible life events, participants will be asked to remember whether details included as test items were explicitly mentioned in the scripts that were used to generate the imagined scenarios. These questions will be investigated by examining script content (e.g., whether or not it is relevant to the participant), and individual differences in imagery experiences (e.g., the frequency with which people experience imagery in their daily lives). The script author will also be varied (e.g., the experimenter or the individual participants), because prior research has routinely relied on experimenter-generated descriptions to guide people's imagery experiences. It may well be that memory errors will be reduced or eliminated when people are their own source of the descriptions guiding the imagery. This research project has a number of implications. The findings will speak to conflicting patterns in the literature on the effects of imagery on memory, refine theories intended to explain the positive or negative effects of imagery, and invite researchers to conceptualize questions about imagery and memory in new ways. The new knowledge may also inform educational, legal, and forensic practices. This research will contribute to the identification and educational development of the next generation of scientists. Undergraduates will be involved in all stages of the investigations, benefitting from meaningful research activities and enriching their education in the psychological sciences. Special attention will be given to attracting undergraduates early in their careers (e.g., recruiting first-year students on the campus where the research is conducted as well as students at nearby community colleges). A postdoctoral fellow will have a unique opportunity to contribute to both undergraduate research and teaching. Finally, through sponsorship of public lectures and panel discussions on campus, this project will showcase the synergistic benefits of drawing together students, scientists, other professionals, and other members of the broader community.