TY - JOUR
T1 - The shape of things to come
T2 - Exploring goal directed prospection
AU - Christian, Brittany M.
AU - Miles, Lynden
AU - Fung, Fiona Hoi Kei
AU - Best, Sarah
AU - Macrae, C. Neil
PY - 2013/6
Y1 - 2013/6
N2 - Through the ability to preview the future (i.e., prospection), people can anticipate how best to think, feel and act in just about any setting. But exactly what factors determine the contents of prospection? Extending research on action identification and temporal construal, here we explored how action goals and temporal distance modulate the characteristics of future previews. Participants were required to imagine travelling to Egypt (in the near or distant future) to climb or photograph a pyramid. Afterwards, to probe the contents of prospection, participants provided a sketch of their imaginary experience. Results elucidated the impact of goal type and temporal distance on mental imagery. While a climbing goal prompted participants to draw a larger pyramid in the near than distant future, a photographic goal influenced only the compositional complexity of the sketches. These findings reveal how action goals and temporal distance shape the contents of future simulations.
AB - Through the ability to preview the future (i.e., prospection), people can anticipate how best to think, feel and act in just about any setting. But exactly what factors determine the contents of prospection? Extending research on action identification and temporal construal, here we explored how action goals and temporal distance modulate the characteristics of future previews. Participants were required to imagine travelling to Egypt (in the near or distant future) to climb or photograph a pyramid. Afterwards, to probe the contents of prospection, participants provided a sketch of their imaginary experience. Results elucidated the impact of goal type and temporal distance on mental imagery. While a climbing goal prompted participants to draw a larger pyramid in the near than distant future, a photographic goal influenced only the compositional complexity of the sketches. These findings reveal how action goals and temporal distance shape the contents of future simulations.
U2 - 10.1016/j.concog.2013.02.002
DO - 10.1016/j.concog.2013.02.002
M3 - Article
VL - 22
SP - 471
EP - 478
JO - Consciousness and Cognition
JF - Consciousness and Cognition
SN - 1053-8100
IS - 2
ER -