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，这些图像的视觉视角可能会有所不同。通常，人们会从第一人称的角度在脑海中描绘事件，从视觉角度来看待情况，如果他们真正经历了事件的话。其他时候，人们以第三人称的视角描绘事件，因此他们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：人们用来描绘生活事件的视角会影响随后的判断、感觉甚至行为。例如，在PI之前调查心理意象对2004年美国总统选举投票影响的工作中，研究发现，如果在选举前一晚，登记选民被分配使用第三人称视角而不是第一人称视角来描绘自己投票的情况，他们参加投票的可能性要大得多。然而，尽管有证据表明，图像视角可以影响重要的结果，但人们对它为什么会有这样的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。根据提出的模型，意象视角会影响人们在思考事件时所使用的心态。第一人称视角促进了一种经验主义的心态，在这种心态下，人们将自己富有想象力地投射到一个事件中，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，即人们将想象中的事件放在更广泛的背景下，并将其与他们的总体自我观点和长期目标结合起来。反过来，该模型规定，当人们从第一人称的角度描述一件事情时，他们对它的反应是由体验事件的感觉驱动的，而当他们从第三人称的角度描述它时，他们的反应是由事件在他们整个生活的宏伟计划中意味着什么来驱动的。一组研究为这一模式寻找证据。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。具体地说，该模型预测，通过唤起一种反思性的心态，第三人称视角将突出事件的更广泛的个人相关性：1)当人们思考自己的成功和失败时，放大骄傲、羞愧和特定类型的遗憾的经历；2)当人们描绘与他们的目标相关的特定类型的行动时，增强动力和对目标的承诺；3)引导人们在对未来进行预测和选择时，减少对直觉的依赖，更多地依赖于逻辑上符合自己信念的东西。在理论层面上，本研究作出了重大贡献，提出了一个全面的框架，整合了一组不同的现有发现，并为新的预测提供了基础。在实践层面上，本研究表明，相对简单的意象视角操作是如何产生不同功能的心态，从而对情绪幸福感、自我调节和自我洞察力产生重大影响的，人们可以在没有特殊训练的情况下轻易地实施这些操作。

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.