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Synonyms

Chronesthesia; Daydreaming; Dreaming; Dynamic generation; Episodic future thought; False memory; Forecast; Hypothetical thinking; Imagery; Make-believe; Mental imagery; Mental modeling; Mental simulation; Picturing; Pretend play; Pretense; Procedural modeling; Prospection; Retrodiction; Retrospection; Supposition; Synthesis; Thought experimentation; Visualization

Imagination: A Cognitive Science Approach

The term “imagination” is used in two general senses. The first is synonymous with “creativity.” The second sense, and the one that will be explored in this entry, refers to the ability to create and experience virtual situations in the mind that are independent of sensory input. For example, a person might picture what a new sofa would look like in her living room, dream of walking through a jungle, or entertain a hypothetical situation in which the Renaissance never happened.

Our imaginative abilities have given our species a great evolutionary advantage. In the Upper...

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Correspondence to Jim Davies Ph.D. .

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Davies, J. (2013). Imagination. In: Carayannis, E.G. (eds) Encyclopedia of Creativity, Invention, Innovation and Entrepreneurship. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-3858-8_369

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-3858-8_369

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