Understanding the role of mental imagery in cognition and behaviour

该项目旨在开发客观的生理方法来测量心理意象，使用神经成像揭示其大脑机制，并显示其如何偏见认知。长期以来，人们一直怀疑心理意象会使认知、视觉工作记忆和知觉产生偏差。然而，由于缺乏测量技术，很难证明这一点。在这里，这是通过开发新的分析技术，并将其应用于极端的意象，幻想消失（无意象）和幻想过度（强烈而生动的意象）来克服的。预期成果包括为几代科学家提供新的测量工具，了解图像的大脑机制，并显示我们的认知（记忆，风险，投资）如何受到心理图像的影响。

This project aims to develop objective physiological methods to measure mental imagery, uncover its brain mechanisms using neuroimaging and show how it biases cognition. It has long been suspected that mental imagery biases cognition, visual working memory and perception. However, showing this has been difficult due to a lack of measurement techniques. Here this is overcome by developing novel assay technologies and applying them to the extremes of imagery, Aphantasia (no imagery) and Hyperphantasia (strong and vivid imagery). Expected outcomes include new measurement tools for generations of scientists, understanding the brain mechanisms of imagery and showing how our cognition (memory, risk, investing) is biased by mental imagery.