ABSTRACT

People have a fascinating capacity to picture their actions from an external vantage point. Much of the research on this third-person imagery has focused on the specific effects it has on cognition due to the elements of episodic experience that it lacks relative to first-person imagery. Other research focuses on the information that the third-person provides that first-person imagery lacks. We propose a more systematic approach that conceptualises how third-person imagery’s various effects interrelate due to a common underlying social-cognitive function. Specifically, we outline an integrative model proposing that third-person and first-person imagery cause people to adopt qualitatively distinct processing styles. This model explains many of the diverse effects that have been documented in the literature and helps reconcile seemingly discrepant findings. We conclude with recommendations for strategies to more systematically investigate the functions of visual perspective in mental imagery to build more comprehensive understanding of this phenomenological variable.

摘要

人们有一种迷人的能力，可以从外部的有利位置描绘他们的行为。由于相对于第一人称意象缺乏情节体验的元素，对这种第三人称意象的大部分研究都集中在它对认知的具体影响上。其他研究侧重于第三人称提供的第一人称图像缺乏的信息。我们提出了一种更系统的方法，该方法将第三人称意象的各种影响如何因共同的潜在社会认知功能而相互关联。具体来说，我们概述了一个综合模型，提出第三人称和第一人称图像导致人们采用质量上不同的处理方式。该模型解释了文献中记录的许多不同影响，并有助于调和看似不一致的发现。最后，我们提出了一些策略建议，以更系统地研究视觉透视在心理意象中的功能，以更全面地理解这一现象学变量。