Mental imagery as a decision-making mode: the comparison of recreational and financial domains

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Authors
Zaleśkiewicz, Tomasz
Śmieja, Joanna
Seweryn, Milosz
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Date
2025-10
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Journal title
Journal of Cognitive Psychology
Issue
7
Volume
37
Pages
Pages
719-734
ISSN
2044-5911
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Access date
2025-07-29
Abstract PL
Abstract EN
This paper explores mental imagery as a decision-making mode across recreational and financial domains. We test the idea that, similar to established decision-making modes – calculation, affect, and recognition – mental imagery can serve as an informative cognitive tool but is better suited to recreational (more experiential) than financial (more abstract) contexts. Two preregistered experiments were conducted. Study 1 assessed participants’ spontaneous associations when considering their involvement in risky activities, predicting higher imagery usage in the recreational domain. Results confirmed that participants reported more mental imagery for recreational risky activities and more analytical thinking for financial ones. Study 2 further investigated the role of imagery-based decisions within the two domains, again in the context of declared risk taking. Participants generated more vivid mental images for recreational activities, and the valence of these images was a stronger predictor of risk-taking willingness in the recreational domain (compared to the financial domain).
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Keywords PL
Keywords EN
Mental imagery
decision making
decision-making mode
willingness to take risks
vividness
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cc-by
Except as otherwise noted, this item is licensed under the Attribution licence | Permitted use of copyrighted works
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Wyobrażenia umysłowe i emocje a decyzje w warunkach ryzyka i niepewności. Wizualizowanie przyszłości jako narzędzie w podejmowaniu decyzji.
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