Involuntary (spontaneous) mental time travel into the past and future

Consciousness and Cognition
Dorthe Berntsen, Anne Staerk Jacobsen

Abstract

Mental time travel (MTT) is the ability to mentally project oneself backward in time to relive past experiences and forward in time to pre-live possible future experiences. Previous work has focused on MTT in its voluntary (controlled) form. Here, we introduce the notion of involuntary (spontaneous) MTT. We examined involuntary versus voluntary and past versus future MTT in a diary study. We found that involuntary future event representations-defined as representations of possible personal future events that come to mind with no preceding search attempts-were as common as involuntary autobiographical memories and similar to them regarding cuing and subjective qualities. Future MTT involved more positive and idyllic representations than past MTT. MTT into the distant future/past involved more representations of cultural life script events than MTT into the immediate past/future. The findings are discussed in relation to cultural learning and MTT considered as a higher mental process.

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Citations

Mar 25, 2011·Cognition & Emotion·Jonathan Smallwood, Rory C O'Connor
Apr 19, 2011·Memory·Dorthe Kirkegaard ThomsenZorana Ivcevic
Sep 8, 2012·PloS One·Xiaolan Song, Xiao Wang
Oct 3, 2012·PloS One·Robert S GardnerGiorgio A Ascoli
Nov 21, 2012·PloS One·Brittany M ChristianC Neil Macrae
Jun 3, 2009·Memory & Cognition·David C Rubin, Dorthe Berntsen
Dec 18, 2013·Journal of Experimental Child Psychology·Giovanna NigroMarina Cosenza
May 31, 2014·Memory & Cognition·Katrine W Rasmussen, Dorthe Berntsen
Sep 21, 2010·Memory & Cognition·Arnaud D'ArgembeauMartial Van der Linden
Jun 25, 2014·Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience·Arnaud D'ArgembeauEric Salmon
Aug 27, 2015·The Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology : QJEP·Aline CordonnierJohn Sutton
Dec 2, 2014·The Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology : QJEP·Olivier Jeunehomme, Arnaud D'Argembeau
Jun 3, 2015·The Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology : QJEP·Scott N Cole, Dorthe Berntsen
Jul 4, 2015·The Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology : QJEP·Catherine BarsicsArnaud D'Argembeau
Mar 2, 2010·Consciousness and Cognition·Kim Berg Johannessen, Dorthe Berntsen
Oct 8, 2015·The Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology : QJEP·Maria Adriana NeroniMaria Antonella Brandimonte
Oct 4, 2015·Consciousness and Cognition·Christina Lundsgaard Ottsen, Dorthe Berntsen
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Mar 1, 2011·Applied Cognitive Psychology·Steve M J Janssen, David C Rubin
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Feb 26, 2011·Acta Psychologica·David StawarczykArnaud D'Argembeau
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Feb 14, 2015·Consciousness and Cognition·Benjamin PlimptonLia Kvavilashvili
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Aug 14, 2012·Consciousness and Cognition·Hildur Finnbogadóttir, Dorthe Berntsen
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Mar 16, 2011·Consciousness and Cognition·Clare J RathboneChris J A Moulin
Sep 6, 2014·Frontiers in Psychology·Qun YeQinqin Wang

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