Extreme Imagination in Mind, Brain and Culture

想象力，一种将我们从此时此地抽离出来，回忆过去，展望未来，进入艺术和科学世界的能力，是人类的一项关键能力。对我们大多数人来说，想象的能力是想象力的一个显著组成部分，但视觉图像的生动程度却因人而异。在之前的研究中，我们描述了终身缺乏“心灵之眼”或“幻觉”的人，这种人影响了大约2%的人口；相反，有些人有非常生动的意象，或“幻觉过度”。在我们ahrc资助的项目“眼睛的思维——视觉想象的神经基础及其在文化中的作用的研究”的生命周期中，从2015年1月1日至2016年5月31日，世界范围内对幻像症的描述的宣传导致了超过1万名具有“极端想象力”的个人自发联系，其中包括大量的幻像艺术家、作家和建筑师。我们的许多联系人都很高兴，因为我们指出并正在调查他们内心生活中一个重要但难以捉摸的特征。这个项目回应了他们的热情和强烈表达的对更广泛信息的渴望，并将与那些与我们联系的人合作开发。我们的项目旨在帮助那些想象过于生动的人进行互动，并建立支持性的社区。它将宣传和庆祝这些极端个人的创造性工作，并使研究图像方面的研究人员能够交流关于视觉和其他领域图像的经验、心理功能和神经基础的最新发现。它将为探索极端意象与教育、治疗和创造性努力的相关性提供机会。最后，它将为这些社区认为重要的主题的未来工作提供一个跳板。为了实现这些目标，我们将与幻想症和过度幻想症患者合作，他们首次联系我们设计一个大型会议，旨在为具有“极端想象力”的人提供一个机会，建立一个社区，与图像研究人员交流经验和想法。一个巡回展览和插图目录（幻想：艺术与科学）将庆祝具有极端意象的个人的创造性工作，概述当前对大脑如何实现意象的理解，并反思意象和想象之间的复杂关系。诺维奇、埃克塞特和格拉斯哥的每个展览场地都将举办教育和文化活动，这些中心都参与了“心灵之眼”项目。该项目将由最初的Eye's Mind团队监督，会议、展览和当地活动的材料将通过我们的网站http://medicine.exeter.ac.uk/research/neuroscience/theeyesmind/.The广泛提供。迄今为止，对Eye's Mind项目的显著回应，有超过10,000封电子邮件联系，表明幻像症和重度幻像症患者很高兴他们的经历的一个独特特征得到了认可。被点名调查。我们的大多数参与者都表示希望更多地了解他们经验的本质和基础，以及一般的图像；许多人特别表示有兴趣召开一次会议。这个项目将满足这种欲望，并更广泛地传播这些极端形式的图像体验的知识。它将使幻想症和过度幻想症患者能够建立社区，并开始探索这些极端意象在实际环境中的含义，特别是在教育和治疗方面。更广泛地说，它将有助于公众欣赏我们内心生活的多样性，通往创造力的许多途径，以及一个迷人的跨学科研究领域。

Imagination, the capacity to detach ourselves from the here and now, to recollect the past, anticipate the future and enter the worlds of art and science, is a key human capacity. For most of us the ability to visualise is a conspicuous component of imagination, but the vividness of visual imagery turns out to vary greatly between individuals. In previous work we have described individuals with lifelong lack of a 'mind's eye' - or 'aphantasia' - which affects around 2% of the population; conversely, some individuals have exceptionally vivid imagery, or 'hyperphantasia'. During the life of our AHRC-funded project 'The eye's mind - a study of the neural basis of visual imagination and of its role in culture', which ran from 1.1.15 - 31.5.16, world-wide publicity surrounding the description of aphantasia led to over 10,000 spontaneous contacts from individuals with 'extreme imagination', including a substantial number of aphantasic artists, writers and architects. Many of our contacts rejoiced that we had named and were investigating a central but elusive characteristic of their inner lives. This project responds to their enthusiasm and strongly expressed desire for more extensive information, and will be developed in collaboration with those who have contacted us.Our project aims to help individuals whose imagery lies at the extreme of the vividness spectrum to interact and build supportive communities. It will publicise and celebrate creative work produced by individuals at these extremes, and enable researchers working on aspects of imagery to communicate recent discoveries about the experience, psychological function and neural basis of imagery in visual and other domains. It will provide an opportunity to explore the relevance of extreme imagery to education, therapy and creative endeavour. Finally it will provide a springboard for future work on topics considered important by those in these communities.To realise these aims, we will work with people with aphantasia and hyperphantasia who have contacted us to design, for the first time ever, a major conference, intended as an opportunity for people with 'extreme imagination' to build a community and exchange experiences and ideas with imagery researchers. A touring exhibition and illustrated catalogue (Phantasia: art and science) will celebrate the creative work of individuals with extreme imagery, outline current understanding of how the brain enables imagery, and reflect on the complex relationship between imagery and imagination. There will be educational and cultural events at each of the exhibition venues in Norwich, Exeter and Glasgow, the centres involved in the Eye's Mind project. The project will be overseen by the original Eye's Mind team, and material from the conference, exhibition and local events will be made widely available through our website http://medicine.exeter.ac.uk/research/neuroscience/theeyesmind/.The remarkable response to date to the Eye's Mind project, with over 10,000 email contacts, has demonstrated that individuals with aphantasia and hyperphantasia are delighted that a distinctive feature of their experience has been recognised, named and investigated. Most of our participants have expressed a wish to learn more about the nature and basis of their experience and about imagery in general; many have specifically expressed interest in a conference. This project will satisfy this appetite and disseminate knowledge of these extreme forms of imagery experience more widely. It will enable people with aphantasia and hyperphantasia to build communities, and begin to explore the implications of these imagery extremes in practical contexts, especially in education and therapy. More generally, it will contribute to the public appreciation of the diversity of our inner lives, of the many routes to creativity, and of a fascinating area of interdisciplinary research.