In this book, Eva Brann sets out no less a task than to assess the meaning of imagination in its multifarious expressions throughout western history. The result is one of those rare achievements that will make The World of the Imagination a standard reference.

When we try to remember whether we left a window open or closed, do we actually see the window in our mind? If we do, does this mental image play a role in how we think? For almost a century, scientists have debated whether mental images play a functional role in cognition. In The Case for Mental Imagery, Stephen Kosslyn, William Thompson, and Giorgio Ganis present a complete and unified argument that mental images do depict information, and that these depictions do play a functional role in human cognition. They outline a specific theory of how depictive representations are used in information processing, and show how these representations arise from neural processes. To support this theory, they seamlessly weave together conceptual analyses and the many varied empirical findings from cognitive psychology and neuroscience. In doing so, they present the conceptual grounds for positing this type of internal representation and summarize and refute arguments to the contrary. Their argument also serves as a historical review of the imagery debate from its earliest inception to its most recent phases, and provides ample evidence that significant progress has been made in our understanding of mental imagery. In illustrating how scientists think about one of the most difficult problems in psychology and neuroscience, this book goes beyond the debate to explore the nature of cognition and to draw out implications for the study of consciousness. Student and professional researchers in vision science, cognitive psychology, philosophy, and neuroscience will find The Case for Mental Imagery to be an invaluable resource for understanding not only the imagery debate, but also and more broadly, the nature of thought, and how theory and research shape the evolution of scientific debates.

Our ability to be conscious of the world around us is often discussed as one of the most amazing yet enigmatic processes under scientific investigation today. However, our ability to imagine the world around us in the absence of stimulation from that world is perhaps even more amazing. This capacity to experience objects or scenarios through imagination, that do not necessarily exist in the world, is perhaps one of the fundamental abilities that allows us successfully to think about, plan, run a dress rehearsal of future events, re-analyze past events and even simulate or fantasize abstract events that may never happen. Empirical research into mental imagery has seen a recent surge, due partly to the development of new neuroscientifc methods and their clever application, but also due to the increasing discovery and application of more objective methods to investigate this inherently internal and private process. As the topic is cross hosted in Frontiers in Perception Science and Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, we invite researchers from different fields to submit opinionated but balanced reviews, new empirical, theoretical, philosophical or technical papers covering any aspect of mental imagery. In particular, we encourage submissions focusing on different sensory modalities, such as olfaction, audition somatosensory etc. Similarly, we support submissions focusing on the relationship between mental imagery and other neural and cognitive functions or disorders such as visual working memory, visual search or disorders of anxiety. Together, we hope that collecting a group of papers on this research topic will help to unify theory while providing an overview of the state of the field, where it is heading, and how mental imagery relates to other cognitive and sensory functions.

This title describes current research findings in the study of human performance Experts from all fields of performance are brought together, covering domains including sports, the performing arts, business, executive coaching, the military, and other applicable, high-risk professions.

First multi-year cumulation covers six years: 1965-70.

In this book, internationally renowned contributors fill a critical gap in the literature by providing an overview of current work in the diagnosis, assessment, and treatment of social phobia, the third most common psychiatric disorder.

Clustering countries by their position on Hofstede's cultural dimensions reduce complexity and make the influence of culture visible and tangible to leaders and managers working in diverse cultural settings. The combination of the dimensions yields a wealth of new insights that can be summarized in a 'typology of national culture' - the so-called Mental Images of culture. This typology enables managers to analyze the likely effects of management techniques and employment policies in different national contexts and can aid managers to modify or replace these techniques where they may be dysfunctional or counterproductive.

Contains several suggestions for research and how it can be conducted. This book is useful for people with an interest in the nature and functions of mental imagery.

It has long been known that almost all elite athletes use imagery and that most sport psychologists apply imagery in working with athletes. But most material on the subject has been, to this point, relegated to single chapters in books, to journal articles, or to conference proceedings. Now Imagery in Sport addresses the breadth of what researchers and practitioners in sport psychology know about the topic, and it treats each issue in depth, considering current theories and research on imagery and its application in sport. The reference also addresses future directions in research and practice for imagery in sport. In doing so, Imagery in Sport provides the most comprehensive look at the state of imagery and its uses in sport today. The authors take readers step by step through understanding, investigating, applying, and advancing imagery in sport. The text includes the following: -Sample scripts, preperformance suggestions, and sport-specific and site-specific tips -Presentation and critical analysis of 10 well-known theoretical frameworks for understanding imagery -A full chapter devoted to understanding and successfully using the available measures of imagery in sport, including how to administer imagery-ability measures Imagery in Sport takes complex theories and presents them clearly, using examples from everyday sport contexts. The book helps readers become familiar with the current knowledge about the topic and learn to view it with a critical eye. And it provides practicing sport psychologists with guidelines and strategies for using imagery to help athletes improve their performances.