Emotion in the mind's eye: Imagination for adaptive cognition

Attenuating conditioned fear using imagery-based interventions: An overview

A growing literature has sought to include mental imagery in fear conditioning studies. Imaginal extinction and imagery rescripting are mental imagery-based interventions that reduce conditioned fear. In the current study, we reviewed the recent findings on the efficacy of imaginal extinction and imagery rescripting as interventions to attenuate conditioned fear responses among healthy individuals. In accordance with the PRISMA guidelines, we conducted a literature search in four databases, PubMed, Scopus, Science Direct, and Web of Science to find published original empirical articles involving imagery-based interventions using a fear conditioning paradigm. The inclusion criteria were (i) use of an imagery-based intervention (either imaginal extinction or imagery rescripting), and (ii) use of a differential fear conditioning paradigm. 13 original articles reporting 15 experimental studies were included in the review. The review revealed that imagery-based interventions are effective in reducing conditioned fear. Although studies have shown that imaginal extinction and standard extinction have comparable effects in fear extinction, many studies have not been conducted to confirm the findings, or explore the underlying mechanisms. We also found the need for a standardized intervention protocol to enhance experimental control in intervention-based fear conditioning studies.

Collaborative imagination synchronizes representations of the future and fosters social connection in the present

From close friends to people on a first date, imagining a shared future appears fundamental to relationships. Yet, no previous research has conceptualized the act of imagination as a socially constructed process that affects how connected we feel to others. The present studies provide a framework for investigating imagination as a collaborative process in which individuals cocreate shared representations of hypothetical events-what we call collaborative imagination. Across two preregistered studies (N = 244), we provide evidence that collaborative imagination of a shared future fosters social connection in novel dyads-beyond imagining a shared future individually or shared experience in general. Subjective ratings and natural language processing of participants' imagined narratives illuminate the representational features of imagined events shaped by collaborative imagination. Together, the present findings have the potential to shift how we view the structure and function of imagination with implications for better understanding interpersonal relationships and collective cognition.