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Abstract
In a complex world, we are constantly faced with environmental stimuli that shape our moment-to-moment experiences. But just as rich and complex as the external world is the internal milieu-our imagination. Imagination offers a powerful vehicle for playing out hypothetical experiences in the mind's eye. It allows us to mentally time travel to behold what the future might bring, including our greatest desires or fears. Indeed, imagined experiences tend to be emotion-laden. How and why are humans capable of this remarkable feat? Based on psychological findings, we highlight the importance of imagination for emotional aspects of cognition and behavior, namely in the generation and regulation of emotions. Based on recent cognitive neuroscience work, we identify putative neural networks that are most critical for emotional imagination, with a major focus on the default mode network. Finally, we briefly highlight the possible functional implications of individual differences in imagination. Overall, we hope to address why humans have the capacity to simulate hypothetical emotional experiences and how this ability can be harnessed in adaptive (and sometimes maladaptive) ways. We end by discussing open questions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chantelle M Cocquyt
- Department of Psychology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Daniela J Palombo
- Department of Psychology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
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2
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Pergolizzi D, Crespo I. The past and future of uncertainty in advanced illness: a systematic scoping review of underlying cognitive processes. ANXIETY, STRESS, & COPING 2022; 36:415-433. [DOI: 10.1080/10615806.2022.2134566] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Denise Pergolizzi
- School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Universitat Internacional de Catalunya (UIC), Barcelona, Spain
| | - Iris Crespo
- Department of Basic Sciences, School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Universitat Internacional de Catalunya (UIC), Barcelona, Spain
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3
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Wardell V, Grilli MD, Palombo DJ. Simulating the best and worst of times: the powers and perils of emotional simulation. Memory 2022; 30:1212-1225. [PMID: 35708272 DOI: 10.1080/09658211.2022.2088796] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Abstract
We are remarkably capable of simulating events that we have never experienced. These simulated events often paint an emotional picture to behold, such as the best and worst possible outcomes that we might face. This review synthesises dispersed literature exploring the role of emotion in simulation. Drawing from work that suggests that simulations can influence our preferences, decision-making, and prosociality, we argue for a critical role of emotion in informing the consequences of simulation. We further unpack burgeoning evidence suggesting that the effects of emotional simulation transcend the laboratory. We propose avenues by which emotional simulation may be harnessed for both personal and collective good in applied contexts. We conclude by offering important future directions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Victoria Wardell
- Department of Psychology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada
| | - Matthew D Grilli
- Department of Psychology, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA
| | - Daniela J Palombo
- Department of Psychology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada
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4
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Fenerci C, Sheldon S. The role of episodic memory in imagining autobiographical events: the influence of event expectancy and context familiarity. Memory 2022; 30:573-590. [PMID: 35129426 DOI: 10.1080/09658211.2022.2032178] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
Abstract
Episodic memory plays a common role in constructing mental representations of past and imagined autobiographical events. Research has suggested that certain factors will affect how episodic memory is used during mental construction, such as the expectancy that an event will occur and the familiarity with an event's context. The aim of the current study was to understand how these factors affect episodic memory engagement and subjective experience during event imagination. In a within-subjects design, participants viewed context cues (high or low in familiarity), described imagined autobiographical events (expected or not expected to occur in these contexts) and rated their experience. 24-hours later, participants recalled and described the same events. We found that expectancy of the imagined events was associated with quicker access and increased episodic detail generation, regardless of context familiarity. Additionally, both event expectancy and context familiarity affected the subjective quality of the imagined events. Examining the episodic details in descriptions after the delay revealed comparable effects of these two factors. Our results underscore the importance of event expectancy in recruiting episodic memory for imagined autobiographical experiences.
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Affiliation(s)
- Can Fenerci
- Department of Psychology, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Signy Sheldon
- Department of Psychology, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
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5
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Cole S, Kvavilashvili L. Spontaneous and deliberate future thinking: a dual process account. PSYCHOLOGICAL RESEARCH 2021; 85:464-479. [PMID: 31807899 PMCID: PMC7900045 DOI: 10.1007/s00426-019-01262-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2019] [Accepted: 10/24/2019] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
Abstract
In this article, we address an apparent paradox in the literature on mental time travel and mind-wandering: How is it possible that future thinking is both constructive, yet often experienced as occurring spontaneously? We identify and describe two 'routes' whereby episodic future thoughts are brought to consciousness, with each of the 'routes' being associated with separable cognitive processes and functions. Voluntary future thinking relies on controlled, deliberate and slow cognitive processing. The other, termed involuntary or spontaneous future thinking, relies on automatic processes that allows 'fully-fledged' episodic future thoughts to freely come to mind, often triggered by internal or external cues. To unravel the paradox, we propose that the majority of spontaneous future thoughts are 'pre-made' (i.e., each spontaneous future thought is a re-iteration of a previously constructed future event), and therefore based on simple, well-understood, memory processes. We also propose that the pre-made hypothesis explains why spontaneous future thoughts occur rapidly, are similar to involuntary memories, and predominantly about upcoming tasks and goals. We also raise the possibility that spontaneous future thinking is the default mode of imagining the future. This dual process approach complements and extends standard theoretical approaches that emphasise constructive simulation, and outlines novel opportunities for researchers examining voluntary and spontaneous forms of future thinking.
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Affiliation(s)
- Scott Cole
- School of Psychological and Social Sciences, York St John University, York, YO31 7EX, UK.
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6
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Devitt AL, Schacter DL. Looking on the Bright Side: Aging and the Impact of Emotional Future Simulation on Subsequent Memory. J Gerontol B Psychol Sci Soc Sci 2020; 75:1831-1840. [PMID: 30950496 PMCID: PMC7566964 DOI: 10.1093/geronb/gbz041] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/08/2018] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVES When younger adults simulated positive future events, subsequent memory is positively biased. In the current studies, we explore age-related changes in the impact of emotional future simulation on subsequent memory. METHODS In Experiment 1, younger and older adults simulated emotional future events before learning the hypothetical outcome of each event via narratives. Memory was assessed for emotional details contained in those narratives. In Experiment 2, a shorter temporal delay between simulation and narrative encoding was used to reduce decay of simulation memory over time. RESULTS Future simulation did not bias subsequent memory for older adults in Experiment 1. However, older adults performed similar to younger adults in Experiment 2, with more liberal responses to positive information after positive simulation. DISCUSSION The impact of an optimistic outlook on subsequent memory is reduced with age, which may be at least partly attributable to declining memory for future simulations over time. This work broadens our understanding of the functional consequences of age-related declines in episodic future simulation and adds to previous work showing reduced benefits of simulation with age on tasks tapping adaptive functions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aleea L Devitt
- Department of Psychology, Harvard University, Massachusetts
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8
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The measurement of episodic foresight: A systematic review of assessment instruments. Cortex 2019; 117:351-370. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cortex.2018.08.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/03/2018] [Revised: 06/05/2018] [Accepted: 08/20/2018] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
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9
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Ernst A, Philippe FL, D'Argembeau A. Wanting or having to: The role of goal self-concordance in episodic future thinking. Conscious Cogn 2018; 66:26-39. [PMID: 30391628 DOI: 10.1016/j.concog.2018.10.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2018] [Revised: 09/19/2018] [Accepted: 10/15/2018] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Abstract
While it is established that goal processing is a central component of episodic future thinking, how personal goals shape future event representations is not fully understood. Here, we explored the influence of the source of motivation underlying goal pursuit. Personal goals differ in their degree of self-concordance, which depends on the primary motives underlying goal pursuit. We distinguished between self-concordant (what one wants to achieve) and non-self-concordant (what one has to achieve) goals. Participants were asked to imagine specific future events associated with each type of goals. We found that self-concordant future events have a privileged phenomenological status: they are associated with a stronger sense of "realness" and of pre-experiencing the future, are more integrated with autobiographical knowledge, and are characterized by more positive and intense emotions. Furthermore, psychological need satisfaction was a characteristic component of self-concordant future thoughts. Implications of these findings for motivation and goal pursuit are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexandra Ernst
- Psychology and Neuroscience of Cognition Research Unit, Department of Psychology, University of Liège, Belgium.
| | - Frederick L Philippe
- ELABORER - Laboratory for Research on Emotions and Representations, Department of Psychology, University of Quebec at Montreal, Canada
| | - Arnaud D'Argembeau
- Psychology and Neuroscience of Cognition Research Unit, Department of Psychology, University of Liège, Belgium
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10
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Devitt AL, Schacter DL. An Optimistic Outlook Creates a Rosy Past: The Impact of Episodic Simulation on Subsequent Memory. Psychol Sci 2018; 29:936-946. [PMID: 29648928 DOI: 10.1177/0956797617753936] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
People frequently engage in future thinking in everyday life, but it is unknown how simulating an event in advance changes how that event is remembered once it takes place. To initiate study of this important topic, we conducted two experiments in which participants simulated emotional events before learning the hypothetical outcome of each event via narratives. Memory was assessed for emotional details contained in those narratives. Positive simulation resulted in a liberal response bias for positive information and a conservative bias for negative information. Events preceded by positive simulation were considered more favorably in retrospect. In contrast, negative simulation had no impact on subsequent memory. Results were similar across an immediate and delayed memory test and for past and future simulation. These results provide novel insights into the cognitive consequences of episodic future simulation and build on the optimism-bias literature by showing that adopting a favorable outlook results in a rosy memory.
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11
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Spreng RN, Madore KP, Schacter DL. Better imagined: Neural correlates of the episodic simulation boost to prospective memory performance. Neuropsychologia 2018; 113:22-28. [PMID: 29572062 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2018.03.025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/23/2017] [Revised: 03/11/2018] [Accepted: 03/19/2018] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Episodic simulation is an adaptive process that can support goal-directed activity and planning success. We investigated the neural architecture associated with the episodic simulation improvement to the likelihood of carrying out future actions by isolating the brain regions associated with this facilitation in a prospective memory paradigm. Participants performed a lexical decision task by making word/non-word judgments, with rarely occurring prospective memory target words requiring a pre-specified manual response. Prior to scanning, participants were given exposure to two lists of prospective memory targets: animals and tools. In a fully counterbalanced design, participants generated a rhyme to one target list and imagined their subsequent encounter (episodic simulation) with target words on the other list. Replicating prior behavioral work, episodic simulation improved subsequent prospective memory performance. Brain activation was assessed in a multivariate partial least squares analysis. Relative to lexical decision blocks with no prospective memory demand, sustained prospective memory replicated prior observations of frontal polar activation. Critically, maintaining the intention to respond to simulated targets, over and above rhyme targets, engaged middle frontal and angular gyri, and medial parietal and prefrontal cortices. Transient activity associated with prospective memory target hits revealed activation for simulated targets in medial prefrontal cortex, posterior cingulate, lateral temporal lobe and inferior parietal lobule. In contrast, rhyme target hits engaged more left lateralized dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and anterior insula. Episodic simulation, thus effectively shifts executive control strategy and boosts task performance. These results are consistent with a growing body of evidence implicating executive control and default network region interactions in adaptive, goal-directed behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- R Nathan Spreng
- Laboratory of Brain and Cognition, Montreal Neurological Institute, Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada; Human Neuroscience Institute, Department of Human Development, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA.
| | - Kevin P Madore
- Department of Psychology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
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12
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Abstract
The future harbours the potential for myriad threats to the fitness of organisms, and many species prepare accordingly based on indicators of hazards. Here, we distinguish between defensive responses on the basis of sensed cues and those based on autocues generated by mental simulations of the future in humans. Whereas sensed threat cues usually induce specific responses with reference to particular features of the environment or generalized responses to protect against diffuse threats, autocues generated by mental simulations of the future enable strategic preparation for hazards that may not require an immediate response. The overlap of these mechanisms makes defence effective and versatile, yet can manifest as contemporary anxiety disorders in humans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Beyon Miloyan
- Department of Mental Health, Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, USA and School of Psychology and Health Sciences, Faculty of Health, Federation University, Australia
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13
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Abstract
This study investigated how personal goals influence age differences in episodic future thinking. Research suggests that personal goals change with age and like autobiographical memory, future thinking is thought to be organised and impacted by personal goals. It was hypothesised that cueing older adults with age-relevant goals should modulate age differences in episodic details and may also influence phenomenological characteristics of imagined scenarios. Healthy younger and older adults completed the Future Thinking Interview [Addis, D. R., Wong, A. T., & Schacter, D. L. (2008). Age-related changes in the episodic simulation of future events. Psychological Science, 19(1), 33-41. doi: 10.1111/j.1467-9280.2008.02043.x ] adapted to activate age-appropriate goals. Narratives were scored with an established protocol to obtain objective measures of episodic and semantic details. Subjective features such as emotionality and personal significance showed age differences as a function of goal domain while other features (e.g., vividness) were unaffected. However, consistent with prior reports, older adults produced fewer episodic details than younger adults and this was not modulated by goal domain. The results do not indicate that goal activation affects level of episodic detail. With respect to phenomenological aspects of future thinking, however, younger adults show more sensitivity to goal activation, compared with older adults.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leann K Lapp
- a Department of Psychology , Ryerson University , Toronto , Ontario , Canada
| | - Julia Spaniol
- a Department of Psychology , Ryerson University , Toronto , Ontario , Canada
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14
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Van Calster L, D'Argembeau A, Salmon E, Peters F, Majerus S. Fluctuations of Attentional Networks and Default Mode Network during the Resting State Reflect Variations in Cognitive States: Evidence from a Novel Resting-state Experience Sampling Method. J Cogn Neurosci 2017; 29:95-113. [DOI: 10.1162/jocn_a_01025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
Abstract
Abstract
Neuroimaging studies have revealed the recruitment of a range of neural networks during the resting state, which might reflect a variety of cognitive experiences and processes occurring in an individual's mind. In this study, we focused on the default mode network (DMN) and attentional networks and investigated their association with distinct mental states when participants are not performing an explicit task. To investigate the range of possible cognitive experiences more directly, this study proposes a novel method of resting-state fMRI experience sampling, informed by a phenomenological investigation of the fluctuation of mental states during the resting state. We hypothesized that DMN activity would increase as a function of internal mentation and that the activity of dorsal and ventral networks would indicate states of top–down versus bottom–up attention at rest. Results showed that dorsal attention network activity fluctuated as a function of subjective reports of attentional control, providing evidence that activity of this network reflects the perceived recruitment of controlled attentional processes during spontaneous cognition. Activity of the DMN increased when participants reported to be in a subjective state of internal mentation, but not when they reported to be in a state of perception. This study provides direct evidence for a link between fluctuations of resting-state neural activity and fluctuations in specific cognitive processes.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | - Steve Majerus
- 1University of Liège
- 2Fund for Scientific Research (FNRS), Belgium
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15
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Gerlach KD, Spreng RN, Madore KP, Schacter DL. Future planning: default network activity couples with frontoparietal control network and reward-processing regions during process and outcome simulations. Soc Cogn Affect Neurosci 2014; 9:1942-51. [PMID: 24493844 PMCID: PMC4249471 DOI: 10.1093/scan/nsu001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 90] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/25/2014] [Revised: 12/01/2013] [Accepted: 12/30/2014] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
We spend much of our daily lives imagining how we can reach future goals and what will happen when we attain them. Despite the prevalence of such goal-directed simulations, neuroimaging studies on planning have mainly focused on executive processes in the frontal lobe. This experiment examined the neural basis of process simulations, during which participants imagined themselves going through steps toward attaining a goal, and outcome simulations, during which participants imagined events they associated with achieving a goal. In the scanner, participants engaged in these simulation tasks and an odd/even control task. We hypothesized that process simulations would recruit default and frontoparietal control network regions, and that outcome simulations, which allow us to anticipate the affective consequences of achieving goals, would recruit default and reward-processing regions. Our analysis of brain activity that covaried with process and outcome simulations confirmed these hypotheses. A functional connectivity analysis with posterior cingulate, dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and anterior inferior parietal lobule seeds showed that their activity was correlated during process simulations and associated with a distributed network of default and frontoparietal control network regions. During outcome simulations, medial prefrontal cortex and amygdala seeds covaried together and formed a functional network with default and reward-processing regions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kathy D Gerlach
- Department of Psychology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA and Laboratory of Brain and Cognition, Human Neuroscience Institute, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, 14853
| | - R Nathan Spreng
- Department of Psychology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA and Laboratory of Brain and Cognition, Human Neuroscience Institute, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, 14853
| | - Kevin P Madore
- Department of Psychology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA and Laboratory of Brain and Cognition, Human Neuroscience Institute, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, 14853
| | - Daniel L Schacter
- Department of Psychology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA and Laboratory of Brain and Cognition, Human Neuroscience Institute, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, 14853
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A taxonomy of prospection: introducing an organizational framework for future-oriented cognition. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2014; 111:18414-21. [PMID: 25416592 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1417144111] [Citation(s) in RCA: 209] [Impact Index Per Article: 20.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Prospection--the ability to represent what might happen in the future--is a broad concept that has been used to characterize a wide variety of future-oriented cognitions, including affective forecasting, prospective memory, temporal discounting, episodic simulation, and autobiographical planning. In this article, we propose a taxonomy of prospection to initiate the important and necessary process of teasing apart the various forms of future thinking that constitute the landscape of prospective cognition. The organizational framework that we propose delineates episodic and semantic forms of four modes of future thinking: simulation, prediction, intention, and planning. We show how this framework can be used to draw attention to the ways in which various modes of future thinking interact with one another, generate new questions about prospective cognition, and illuminate our understanding of disorders of future thinking. We conclude by considering basic cognitive processes that give rise to prospective cognitions, cognitive operations and emotional/motivational states relevant to future-oriented cognition, and the possible role of procedural or motor systems in future-oriented behavior.
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Schacter DL, Addis DR, Hassabis D, Martin VC, Spreng RN, Szpunar KK. The future of memory: remembering, imagining, and the brain. Neuron 2012; 76:677-94. [PMID: 23177955 PMCID: PMC3815616 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2012.11.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 703] [Impact Index Per Article: 58.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 11/02/2012] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
During the past few years, there has been a dramatic increase in research examining the role of memory in imagination and future thinking. This work has revealed striking similarities between remembering the past and imagining or simulating the future, including the finding that a common brain network underlies both memory and imagination. Here, we discuss a number of key points that have emerged during recent years, focusing in particular on the importance of distinguishing between temporal and nontemporal factors in analyses of memory and imagination, the nature of differences between remembering the past and imagining the future, the identification of component processes that comprise the default network supporting memory-based simulations, and the finding that this network can couple flexibly with other networks to support complex goal-directed simulations. This growing area of research has broadened our conception of memory by highlighting the many ways in which memory supports adaptive functioning.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel L Schacter
- Department of Psychology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA.
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