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Related Experiment Video

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Methods for Presenting Real-world Objects Under Controlled Laboratory Conditions
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Reality check: how do we know what's real?

Rebecca Keogh1

  • 1School of Psychological Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW, Australia.

Trends in Cognitive Sciences
|June 22, 2023
PubMed
Summary

New research reveals that mental imagery, once it crosses a specific "reality threshold," becomes indistinguishable from actual sensory experiences. This challenges previous understandings of imagination and perception.

Area of Science:

  • Cognitive Neuroscience
  • Psychology of Perception

Background:

  • The distinction between imagination and reality is a fundamental question in cognitive science.
  • The Perky effect describes how visual imagery can influence perception, but its limits are debated.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the threshold at which mental imagery becomes perceptually indistinguishable from reality.
  • To explore the relationship between vividness of imagery and its perceived reality.

Main Methods:

  • Participants engaged in tasks involving mental imagery and perceptual judgments.
  • Researchers manipulated the vividness and 'reality' of imagined stimuli.

Main Results:

  • A distinct 'reality threshold' was identified for mental imagery.
Keywords:
imaginationreality monitoringvisual imageryvividness

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  • Imagery exceeding this threshold was difficult to differentiate from real sensory input.
  • Findings contrast with traditional interpretations of the Perky effect.

    • Conclusions:

    • Mental imagery can achieve a level of perceptual realism previously underestimated.
    • The study provides new insights into the mechanisms underlying reality perception and imagination.