Related Experiment Video
Updated: Apr 5, 2026

Creating Virtual-hand and Virtual-face Illusions to Investigate Self-representation
Published on: March 1, 2017
Pretense and imagination
Shen-Yi Liao1, Tamar Szabó Gendler2
1University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI.
Abstract:
Issues of pretense and imagination are of central interest to philosophers, psychologists, and researchers in allied fields. In this entry, we provide a roadmap of some of the central themes around which discussion has been focused. We begin with an overview of pretense, imagination, and the relationship between them. We then shift our attention to the four specific topics where the disciplines' research programs have intersected or where additional interactions could prove mutually beneficial: the psychological underpinnings of performing pretense and of recognizing pretense, the cognitive capacities involved in imaginative engagement with fictions, and the real-world impact of make-believe. In the final section, we discuss more briefly a number of other mental activities that arguably involve imagining, including counterfactual reasoning, delusions, and dreaming. WIREs Cogn Sci 2011 2 79-94 DOI: 10.1002/wcs.91 For further resources related to this article, please visit the WIREs website.
More Related Videos
05:48The Adventures of Fundi Intervention Based on the Cognitive and Emotional Processing in Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder Patients
Published on: June 12, 2020
07:43Author Spotlight: A Novel Setup to Conduct Naturalistic Laboratory Experiments with Real Human Actors in Scenarios
Published on: August 4, 2023
Related Concept Videos
Impression Management Techniques I: Managing Appearances
Self-Presentation: Self-Monitoring and Self-Handicapping
Self-Presentation
Managing Impressions
Reason and Intuition
Self-Evaluation: Self-Enhancement and Self-Verification