The multisensory nature of human action imagery

Imagination can appeal to all our senses and may, therefore, manifest in very different qualities (e.g., visual, tactile, proprioceptive, or kinesthetic). One line of research addresses action imagery that refers to a process by which people imagine the execution of an action without actual body movements. In action imagery, visual and kinesthetic aspects of the imagined action are particularly important. However, other sensory modalities may also play a role. The purpose of the paper will be to address issues that include: (i) the creation of an action image, (ii) how the brain generates images of movements and actions, (iii) the richness and vividness of action images. We will further address possible causes that determine the sensory impression of an action image, like task specificity, instruction and experience. In the end, we will outline open questions and future directions.

Automated summary

This paper addresses various aspects of action imagery, including the creation of action images, how the brain generates images of movements and actions, and the richness and vividness of action images. Visual and kinesthetic aspects are found to be particularly important in action imagery, although other sensory modalities may also play a role. Additionally, factors such as task specificity, instruction, and experience influence the sensory impression of action images.