Abstract:

Visual mental imagery is an important way of information representation for human being. Compared with working memory and attention, visual mental imagery sheds more light on the subjective contents which are different strikingly among individuals. With the perspective of individual differences, we review the various individual performances and the underlying neural basis of visual mental imagery. We also explore some potential applications and future directions of visual mental imagery. This review will lead to a better understanding of the nature of individual differences in visual mental imagery and accelerate the development in the research field.

Key words: mental imagery, pictorial representations, individual difference, binocular rivalry, fMRI