Prophantasia: A new dimension of mental imagery that interferes with perception

What is it about?

Mental imagery is a multidimensional construct, and there are individual differences in the subjective vividness (intensity), precision (detail), and realism of mental images. This study reports a new measure of imagery externalism, or the ability to embed mental images into the external environment, similar to how virtual images are embedded into the external environment in augmented reality. We call this ability prophantasia. We conducted a replication of a 2007 study originally conducted with eight participants, using more diverse samples comprising a total of 241 participants. In two experiments, we found no evidence for a relationship between mental imagery vividness and perceptual processing, contrary to the highly cited finding from 2007 that has not since been replicated. Instead, we found a significant influence of prophantasia on perception.

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Photo by David Grandmougin on Unsplash

Photo by David Grandmougin on Unsplash

Why is it important?

This study highlights the importance of conducting well-powered and methodologically rigorous replications of highly cited, underpowered single studies. Our results challenge the current understanding of the role of mental imagery in perception, and we provide the first evidence that the ability to project mental imagery into the external environment (i.e., prophantasia) might influence perceptual processing, highlighting the need for further research on this phenomenon.

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