{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,22]],"date-time":"2026-09-22T13:00:25Z","timestamp":1790082025058,"version":"4.0.1"},"reference-count":92,"publisher":"Frontiers Media SA","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,21]],"date-time":"2026-09-21T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1789948800000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["frontiersin.org"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Front. Psychol."],"abstract":"<jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Introduction<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Imagination is a central feature of human thought, yet it remains poorly defined and inconsistently conceptualized across disciplines, limiting cumulative progress in research. This paper proposes a provisional conceptual model of imagination aimed at organizing existing terminology and clarifying imagination's structure and role in human cognition.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Methods<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Using a conceptual review approach, the authors synthesize literature from psychology, neuroscience, philosophy, and related fields, focusing on work that defines, measures, or models imagination. Sources were analyzed to identify recurring components and theoretical perspectives, which were then organized through an iterative process of comparison and integration.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Results<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>The review identifies 60 dimensions of imagination (in addition to eight forms of applied imagination), organizing these literature-derived terms into three overarching domains: cognitive-narrative, sensory-motor, and social-emotional. Building on these domains, the paper advances a conceptual model in which imagination is defined as the capacity to simulate, reconfigure, and extend beyond reality. The model further proposes that imagination operates across varying levels of awareness and interacts dynamically with attention.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Discussion<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>This work positions imagination as an integrated, multifaceted process that is deeply embedded in other core mental functions, including memory, planning, and social understanding, rather than as a separate faculty. By offering a framework and clarifying its underlying structure, this conceptual map provides a foundation for future empirical research and highlights the broad significance of imagination in shaping human experience and behavior.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.3389\/fpsyg.2026.1888826","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,22]],"date-time":"2026-09-22T12:01:57Z","timestamp":1790078517000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/crossmark-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Defining imagination: a conceptual mapping and provisional model"],"prefix":"10.3389","volume":"17","author":[{"given":"Cassandra","family":"Vieten","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Arthur C. Clarke Center for Human Imagination, University of California, San Diego","place":["San Diego, CA, United States"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Julie","family":"Eitzen","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Arthur C. Clarke Center for Human Imagination, University of California, San Diego","place":["San Diego, CA, United States"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Chloe","family":"Tanega Baxter","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Arthur C. Clarke Center for Human Imagination, University of California, San Diego","place":["San Diego, CA, United States"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Stefanie","family":"Holden","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Arthur C. Clarke Center for Human Imagination, University of California, San Diego","place":["San Diego, CA, United States"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Olivia","family":"Dance","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Arthur C. Clarke Center for Human Imagination, University of California, San Diego","place":["San Diego, CA, United States"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Corinne","family":"Lebrun","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Arthur C. Clarke Center for Human Imagination, University of California, San Diego","place":["San Diego, CA, United States"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Sally","family":"Yu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Arthur C. Clarke Center for Human Imagination, University of California, San Diego","place":["San Diego, CA, United States"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Erik","family":"Viirre","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Arthur C. Clarke Center for Human Imagination, University of California, San Diego","place":["San Diego, CA, United States"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1965","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,21]]},"reference":[{"key":"B1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"4197","DOI":"10.1002\/hbm.23300","article-title":"The imaginative mind","volume":"37","author":"Abraham","year":"2016","journal-title":"Hum. Brain Mapp."},{"key":"B2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"64","DOI":"10.1080\/03036758.2018.1439071","article-title":"Are episodic memories special? On the sameness of remembered and imagined event simulation","volume":"48","author":"Addis","year":"2017","journal-title":"J. R. Soc. N. Z."},{"key":"B3","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"2222","DOI":"10.1016\/j.neuropsychologia.2008.10.026","article-title":"Constructive episodic simulation of the future and the past: distinct subsystems of a core brain network mediate imagining and remembering","volume":"47","author":"Addis","year":"2009","journal-title":"Neuropsychologia"},{"key":"B4","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1363","DOI":"10.1016\/j.neuropsychologia.2006.10.016","article-title":"Remembering the past and imagining the future: common and distinct neural substrates during event construction and elaboration","volume":"45","author":"Addis","year":"2007","journal-title":"Neuropsychologia"},{"key":"B5","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"533","DOI":"10.1016\/S1364-6613(00)01804-0","article-title":"Episodic future thinking","volume":"5","author":"Atance","year":"2001","journal-title":"Trends Cogn. Sci."},{"key":"B6","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"851","DOI":"10.1037\/0003-066X.56.11.851","article-title":"Is working memory still working?","volume":"56","author":"Baddeley","year":"2001","journal-title":"Am. Psychol."},{"key":"B7","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"514","DOI":"10.1017\/9781108580298.031","article-title":"\u201cHypothetical thinking,\u201d","volume-title":"The Cambridge Handbook of the Imagination","author":"Ball","year":"2020"},{"key":"B8","first-page":"34","volume-title":"Remembering: A Study in Experimental and Social Psychology","author":"Bartlett","year":"1932"},{"key":"B9","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1087","DOI":"10.1073\/pnas.1713532115","article-title":"Robust prediction of individual creative ability from brain functional connectivity","volume":"115","author":"Beaty","year":"2018","journal-title":"Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A."},{"key":"B10","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"190","DOI":"10.1016\/j.actpsy.2009.06.009","article-title":"An fMRI investigation on image generation in different sensory modalities: the influence of vividness","volume":"132","author":"Belardinelli","year":"2009","journal-title":"Acta Psychol."},{"key":"B11","first-page":"327","article-title":"Perception, imagination and reality","volume":"41","author":"Beres","year":"1960","journal-title":"Int. J. Psychoanal."},{"key":"B12","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1002","DOI":"10.1038\/s41467-024-45065-w","article-title":"Cortical depth profiles in primary visual cortex for illusory and imaginary experiences","volume":"15","author":"Bergmann","year":"2024","journal-title":"Nature Communications"},{"key":"B13","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"75","DOI":"10.1016\/0167-8760(90)90008-2","article-title":"Dynamics of central nervous activation during motor imagination","volume":"9","author":"Beyer","year":"1990","journal-title":"Int. J. Psychophysiol."},{"key":"B14","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"91","DOI":"10.1177\/2167702614560746","article-title":"Positive imagery-based cognitive bias modification as a web-based treatment tool for depressed adults: a randomized controlled trial","volume":"3","author":"Blackwell","year":"2015","journal-title":"Clin. Psychol. Sci"},{"key":"B15","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"75","DOI":"10.1007\/978-94-011-0369-5_5","article-title":"\u201cUnderstanding creativity,\u201d","author":"Boden","year":"1995","journal-title":"Revolutionary Changes in Understanding Man and Society: Scopes and Limits"},{"key":"B16","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"443","DOI":"10.1016\/j.psychsport.2004.08.001","article-title":"The effect of kinesthetic imagery on the sport confidence of flat-race horse jockeys","volume":"6","author":"Callow","year":"2005","journal-title":"Psychol. Sport Exerc."},{"key":"B17","volume-title":"Emotion in the","author":"Cocquyt","year":"2023"},{"key":"B18","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"241","DOI":"10.1098\/rstb.2009.0159","article-title":"Counterfactual thinking and emotions: regret and envy learning","author":"Coricelli","year":"2010","journal-title":"Philosophical Transactions of the Royal society B: Biol. Sci."},{"key":"B19","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"179","DOI":"10.1163\/22134808-20191340","article-title":"Measuring multisensory imagery of wine: the vividness of wine imagery questionnaire","volume":"32","author":"Croijmans","year":"2019","journal-title":"Multisens. Res."},{"key":"B20","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1093\/acprof:oso\/9780198238089.001.0001","author":"Currie","year":"2002","journal-title":"Recreative Minds: Imagination in Philosophy and Psychology"},{"key":"B21","first-page":"31","article-title":"Imagination and belief: the microtheories model of hypothetical thinking","volume":"23","author":"Davies","year":"2016","journal-title":"J. Conscious. Stud."},{"key":"B22","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"133","DOI":"10.1080\/00221309.1943.10545200","article-title":"What is imagination?","volume":"28","author":"Dexter","year":"1943","journal-title":"J. Gen. Psychol."},{"key":"B23","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"423","DOI":"10.1016\/j.tics.2019.02.004","article-title":"Shared neural mechanisms of visual perception and imagery","volume":"23","author":"Dijkstra","year":"2019","journal-title":"Trends Cogn. Sci."},{"key":"B24","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1144","DOI":"10.1152\/jn.00529.2019","article-title":"Parallel distributed networks dissociate episodic and social functions within the individual","volume":"123","author":"DiNicola","year":"2020","journal-title":"J. Neurophysiol."},{"key":"B25","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"143","DOI":"10.1111\/j.0956-7976.2004.01503001.x","article-title":"The mind's nose: effects of odor and visual imagery on odor detection","volume":"15","author":"Djordjevic","year":"2004","journal-title":"Psychol. Sci."},{"key":"B26","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"209","DOI":"10.1080\/1047840X.2010.502557","article-title":"Functional aspects of global versus local processing: relations among the structure and content of goals, counterfactuals, and regrets","volume":"21","author":"Epstude","year":"2010","journal-title":"Psychol. Inquiry"},{"key":"B27","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.14428\/rec.v19i19.48413","author":"Fauconnier","year":"2003","journal-title":"Conceptual Blending, form and Meaning"},{"key":"B28","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.4324\/9781003259428","author":"Friedlander","year":"2024","journal-title":"The psychology of creative performance and expertise."},{"key":"B29","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"6","DOI":"10.53841\/bpscog.2026.1.11.6","article-title":"Mental imagery as a hidden engine of creative expertise","volume":"11","author":"Friedlander","year":"2026","journal-title":"BPS Cognitive Bulletin"},{"key":"B30","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"829","DOI":"10.1037\/aca0000520","article-title":"A multifactorial model of visual imagery and its relationship to creativity and the vividness of visual imagery questionnaire","volume":"18","author":"Friedlander","year":"2022","journal-title":"Psychol. Aesthetics, Creativity Arts"},{"key":"B31","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"301","DOI":"10.1093\/mind\/os-V.19.301","article-title":"Statistics of mental imagery","volume":"5","author":"Galton","year":"1880","journal-title":"Mind"},{"key":"B32","first-page":"611","article-title":"The contextual association network activates more for remembered than for imagined events","volume":"26","author":"Gilmore","year":"2016","journal-title":"Cerebral Cortex"},{"key":"B33","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1367","DOI":"10.1038\/nn1794","article-title":"Memory modulates color appearance","volume":"9","author":"Hansen","year":"2006","journal-title":"Nat. Neurosci."},{"key":"B34","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"31","DOI":"10.1016\/j.neubiorev.2018.08.003","article-title":"Neural correlates of action: comparing meta-analyses of imagery, observation, and execution","volume":"94","author":"Hardwick","year":"2018","journal-title":"Neurosci. Biobehav. Rev."},{"key":"B35","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"930","DOI":"10.1016\/j.neubiorev.2013.03.017","article-title":"The neural network of motor imagery: an ALE meta-analysis","volume":"37","author":"H\u00e9tu","year":"2013","journal-title":"Neurosci. Biobehav. Rev."},{"key":"B36","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"489","DOI":"10.1037\/1528-3542.5.4.489","article-title":"Mental imagery and emotion: a special relationship?","volume":"5","author":"Holmes","year":"2005","journal-title":"Emotion"},{"key":"B37","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"349","DOI":"10.1016\/j.cpr.2010.01.001","article-title":"Mental imagery in emotion and emotional disorders. Clin. Psychol","volume":"30","author":"Holmes","year":"2010","journal-title":"Rev"},{"key":"B38","first-page":"337","article-title":"\u201cIntrapersonal communication and imagined interactions,\u201d","author":"Honeycutt","year":"2014","journal-title":"An Integrated Approach to Communication Theory and Research"},{"key":"B39","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1","DOI":"10.1080\/08934219009367494","article-title":"Imagined interaction and interpersonal communication","volume":"3","author":"Honeycutt","year":"1990","journal-title":"Commun. Rep."},{"key":"B40","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"27","DOI":"10.1007\/s13162-020-00168-7","article-title":"Conceptual review papers: revisiting existing research to develop and refine theory","volume":"10","author":"Hulland","year":"2020","journal-title":"AMS Review"},{"key":"B41","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"259","DOI":"10.1016\/j.conb.2004.01.020","article-title":"Motor cognition: a new paradigm to study self\u2013other interactions","volume":"14","author":"Jackson","year":"2004","journal-title":"Curr. Opin. Neurobiol."},{"key":"B42","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"329","DOI":"10.1146\/annurev-psych-080123-102254","article-title":"Possible worlds theory: how the imagination transcends and recreates reality","volume":"76","author":"Keltner","year":"2025","journal-title":"Annu. Rev. Psychol."},{"key":"B43","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"53","DOI":"10.1016\/j.cortex.2017.10.012","article-title":"The blind mind: no sensory visual imagery in aphantasia","volume":"105","author":"Keogh","year":"2018","journal-title":"Cortex"},{"key":"B44","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"e0190715","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pone.0190715","article-title":"Changes in network connectivity during motor imagery and execution","volume":"13","author":"Kim","year":"2018","journal-title":"PLoS ONE"},{"key":"B45","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"13121","DOI":"10.1007\/s11229-021-03369-0","article-title":"Can imagination be unconscious?","volume":"199","author":"Kind","year":"2021","journal-title":"Synthese"},{"key":"B46","first-page":"125","author":"Klinger","year":"1990","journal-title":"Daydreaming: Using Waking Fantasy and Imagery for Self-Knowledge and Creativity"},{"key":"B47","first-page":"225","article-title":"\u201cDaydreaming and fantasizing: thought flow and motivation,\u201d","author":"Klinger","year":"2009","journal-title":"Handbook of imagination and mental simulation"},{"key":"B48","article-title":"\u201cMemory without imagery: no evidence of visual working memory impairment in people with aphantasia,\u201d","author":"Knight","year":"2022","journal-title":"Proceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society."},{"key":"B49","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1271","DOI":"10.1016\/j.neuroimage.2004.08.002","article-title":"Functional imaging of gustatory perception and imagery: \u201cTop-down\u201d processing of gustatory signals","volume":"23","author":"Kobayashi","year":"2004","journal-title":"NeuroImage"},{"key":"B50","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"3504","DOI":"10.1038\/s41598-019-39813-y","article-title":"Decoding the contents and strength of imagery before volitional engagement","volume":"9","author":"Koenig-Robert","year":"2019","journal-title":"Sci. Rep."},{"key":"B51","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1","DOI":"10.1093\/oso\/9780198815068.001.0001","author":"Langland-Hassan","year":"2020","journal-title":"Explaining Imagination"},{"key":"B52","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"e0144256","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pone.0144256","article-title":"The study of object-oriented motor imagery based on EEG suppression","volume":"10","author":"Li","year":"2015","journal-title":"PLoS ONE"},{"key":"B53","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"527","DOI":"10.1016\/j.tins.2016.06.003","article-title":"Roles of supplementary motor areas in auditory processing and auditory imagery","volume":"39","author":"Lima","year":"2016","journal-title":"Trends Neurosci."},{"key":"B54","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"386","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jphysparis.2006.03.012","article-title":"Motor imagery","volume":"99","author":"Lotze","year":"2006","journal-title":"J. Physiol. Paris"},{"key":"B55","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"4222","DOI":"10.1093\/cercor\/bhx277","article-title":"Neural encoding of auditory features during music perception and imagery","volume":"28","author":"Martin","year":"2018","journal-title":"Cereb. Cortex"},{"key":"B56","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"99","DOI":"10.1007\/978-1-4419-7988-9_5","article-title":"\u201cNarrative identity,\u201d","author":"McAdams","year":"2011","journal-title":"Handbook of Identity Theory and Research"},{"key":"B57","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"932","DOI":"10.3758\/s13421-017-0706-3","article-title":"Enhancing memory and imagination improves problem solving among individuals with depression","volume":"45","author":"McFarland","year":"2017","journal-title":"Mem. Cognit."},{"key":"B58","unstructured":"Imagination\n          \n          2024"},{"key":"B59","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"483","DOI":"10.1037\/pspa0000148","article-title":"Creative expertise is associated with transcending the here and now","volume":"116","author":"Meyer","year":"2019","journal-title":"J. Personal. Soc. Psychol."},{"key":"B60","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"e12836","DOI":"10.1111\/phc3.12836","article-title":"Imagination in science","volume":"17","author":"Murphy","year":"2022","journal-title":"Philos. Compass"},{"key":"B61","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"016002","DOI":"10.1088\/1741-2552\/aa8235","article-title":"Inferring imagined speech using EEG signals: a new approach using Riemannian manifold features","volume":"15","author":"Nguyen","year":"2017","journal-title":"J. Neural Eng."},{"key":"B62","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"233","DOI":"10.1016\/j.concog.2004.07.005","article-title":"The imagination: cognitive, pre-cognitive, and meta-cognitive aspects","volume":"14","author":"O'Connor","year":"2005","journal-title":"Conscious. Cogn."},{"key":"B63","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"72","DOI":"10.3389\/fnhum.2017.00072","article-title":"Does motor simulation theory explain the cognitive mechanisms underlying motor imagery? A critical review","volume":"17","author":"O'Shea","year":"2017","journal-title":"Front. Hum. Neurosci."},{"key":"B64","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1229","DOI":"10.1177\/09567976231198435","article-title":"Different mechanisms for supporting mental imagery and perceptual representations: modulation versus excitation","volume":"34","author":"Pace","year":"2023","journal-title":"Psychol. Sci."},{"key":"B65","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"624","DOI":"10.1038\/s41583-019-0202-9","article-title":"The human imagination: the cognitive neuroscience of visual mental imagery","volume":"20","author":"Pearson","year":"2019","journal-title":"Nat. Rev. Neurosci."},{"key":"B66","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"590","DOI":"10.1016\/j.tics.2015.08.003","article-title":"Mental imagery: functional mechanisms and clinical applications","volume":"19","author":"Pearson","year":"2015","journal-title":"Trends Cogn. Sci."},{"key":"B67","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"397","DOI":"10.1007\/s12124-011-9176-5","article-title":"\u201cMinding the gap\u201d: imagination, creativity and human cognition","volume":"45","author":"Pelaprat","year":"2011","journal-title":"Integr. Psychol. Behav. Sci."},{"key":"B68","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"422","DOI":"10.2307\/1413350","article-title":"An experimental study of imagination","volume":"21","author":"Perky","year":"1910","journal-title":"Am. J. Psychol."},{"key":"B69","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"160","DOI":"10.1037\/0096-3445.109.2.160","article-title":"Attention and the detection of signals","volume":"109","author":"Posner","year":"1980","journal-title":"J. Exp. Psychol. Gen."},{"key":"B70","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"975","DOI":"10.1007\/s13164-023-00690-0","article-title":"The dual role of inner speech in narrative self-understanding and narrative self-enactment","volume":"15","author":"Rovetta","year":"2024","journal-title":"Rev. Philos. Psychol."},{"key":"B71","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"65","DOI":"10.1016\/j.tics.2014.11.007","article-title":"Deconstructing and reconstructing theory of mind","volume":"19","author":"Schaafsma","year":"2015","journal-title":"Trends Cogn. Sci."},{"key":"B72","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"773","DOI":"10.1098\/rstb.2007.2087","article-title":"The cognitive neuroscience of constructive memory: remembering the past and imagining the future","volume":"362","author":"Schacter","year":"2007","journal-title":"Philos. Trans. R. Soc. Lond. B Biol. Sci."},{"key":"B73","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"677","DOI":"10.1016\/j.neuron.2012.11.001","article-title":"The future of memory: remembering, imagining, and the brain","volume":"76","author":"Schacter","year":"2012","journal-title":"Neuron"},{"key":"B74","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"14","DOI":"10.1016\/j.nlm.2013.12.008","article-title":"Episodic future thinking and episodic counterfactual thinking: intersections between memory and decisions","volume":"117","author":"Schacter","year":"2015","journal-title":"Neurobiol. Learn. Mem."},{"key":"B75","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"41","DOI":"10.1016\/j.cobeha.2017.06.002","article-title":"Episodic future thinking: mechanisms and functions","volume":"17","author":"Schacter","year":"2017","journal-title":"Curr. Opin. Behav. Sci."},{"key":"B76","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"293","DOI":"10.1037\/bul0000303","article-title":"Toward a hierarchical model of social cognition: a neuroimaging meta-analysis and integrative review of empathy and theory of mind","volume":"147","author":"Schurz","year":"2021","journal-title":"Psychol. Bull."},{"key":"B77","first-page":"133","volume-title":"Homo Prospectus","author":"Seligman","year":"2016"},{"key":"B78","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"89","DOI":"10.1111\/j.1467-7687.2007.00569.x","article-title":"Core knowledge","volume":"10","author":"Spelke","year":"2007","journal-title":"Dev. Sci."},{"key":"B79","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"238","DOI":"10.1093\/bjaesthetics\/43.3.238","article-title":"Twelve conceptions of imagination","volume":"43","author":"Stevenson","year":"2003","journal-title":"Br. J. Aesthet."},{"key":"B80","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"299","DOI":"10.1017\/S0140525X07001975","article-title":"The evolution of foresight: what is mental time travel, and is it unique to humans?","volume":"30","author":"Suddendorf","year":"2007","journal-title":"Behav. Brain Sci."},{"key":"B81","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"47","DOI":"10.1007\/978-3-030-38025-0","author":"Tateo","year":"2020","journal-title":"A Theory of Imagining, Knowing, and Understanding"},{"key":"B82","unstructured":"The need of a unified theory of imagining\n          \n          \n            \n              Tateo\n              L.\n            \n          \n          The Junkyard\n          \n          2021"},{"key":"B83","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"25","DOI":"10.1007\/s11065-025-09662-w","article-title":"Cortical gradients support mental time travel into the past and future: evidence from activation likelihood estimation meta-analysis","volume":"36","author":"Teghil","year":"2025","journal-title":"Neuropsychol. Rev."},{"key":"B84","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"225","DOI":"10.1038\/s41562-018-0305-8","article-title":"Imagined speech influences perceived loudness of sound","volume":"2","author":"Tian","year":"2018","journal-title":"Nat. Hum. Behav."},{"key":"B85","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1568","DOI":"10.1016\/j.neuron.2024.04.011","article-title":"Consciousness and sleep","volume":"112","author":"Tononi","year":"2024","journal-title":"Neuron"},{"key":"B86","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"5","DOI":"10.1037\/pmu0000082","article-title":"The classification of involuntary musical imagery: the case for earworms","volume":"25","author":"Williams","year":"2015","journal-title":"Psychomusicology"},{"key":"B87","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"4","DOI":"10.1016\/j.cortex.2017.12.014","article-title":"The neural correlates of visual imagery: a co-ordinate-based meta-analysis","volume":"105","author":"Winlove","year":"2018","journal-title":"Cortex"},{"key":"B88","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"3751","DOI":"10.1038\/s41598-021-82241-0","article-title":"Characterization of kinesthetic motor imagery compared with visual motor imageries","volume":"11","author":"Yang","year":"2021","journal-title":"Sci. Rep."},{"key":"B89","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"581","DOI":"10.1097\/00001756-200303240-00011","article-title":"Neural substrates of tactile imagery: a functional MRI study","volume":"14","author":"Yoo","year":"2003","journal-title":"Neuroreport"},{"key":"B90","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"2287","DOI":"10.1007\/s00426-019-01227-w","article-title":"The Four-Factor Imagination Scale (FFIS): a measure for assessing frequency, complexity, emotional valence, and directedness of imagination","volume":"84","author":"Zabelina","year":"2020","journal-title":"Psychol. Res."},{"key":"B91","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"9","DOI":"10.1016\/j.neuron.2005.06.013","article-title":"Mental concerts: musical imagery and auditory cortex","volume":"47","author":"Zatorre","year":"2005","journal-title":"Neuron"},{"key":"B92","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"467","DOI":"10.1016\/j.tics.2024.02.007","article-title":"Aphantasia and hyperphantasia: exploring imagery vividness extremes","volume":"28","author":"Zeman","year":"2024","journal-title":"Trends Cogn. Sci."}],"container-title":["Frontiers in Psychology"],"original-title":[],"link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/www.frontiersin.org\/articles\/10.3389\/fpsyg.2026.1888826\/full","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,22]],"date-time":"2026-09-22T12:02:03Z","timestamp":1790078523000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/www.frontiersin.org\/articles\/10.3389\/fpsyg.2026.1888826\/full"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,21]]},"references-count":92,"alternative-id":["10.3389\/fpsyg.2026.1888826"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/fpsyg.2026.1888826","relation":{},"ISSN":["1664-1078"],"issn-type":[{"value":"1664-1078","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,21]]},"article-number":"1888826"}}