Does Cognitive Neuroscience Research on Mental Imagery need Behaviour?
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2025-06-12
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en
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Abstract
Mental imagery is often experienced in the “mind’s eye”, without overt behavioural signs.
Accordingly, cognitive neuroscience has largely focused on its sensory content, often neglecting behavioural paradigms that investigate its functional role. In this paper, I challenge the sensory account for promoting a passive view of mental imagery and instead argue for an active perspective in which imagery serves goal-directed, functional purposes. Moreover, a purely sensory account is scientifically untenable: without subjective report or behavioural evidence, there is no empirical basis to confirm that such imagery is experienced. Finally, novel behavioural paradigms designed are introduced to examine the functional role of mental imagery and its integration with other cognitive domains.
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Faculteit der Filosofie, Theologie en Religiewetenschappen