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The Conversation USA

What is mental imagery? Brain researchers explain the pictures in your mind and why they’re useful

  • Written by Lynne Gauthier, Associate Professor of Physical Therapy and Kinesiology, UMass Lowell
imageSome people can visualize things perfectly in their mind's eye, while others can't.designer491/iStock via Getty Images Plusimage

Curious Kids is a series for children of all ages. If you have a question you’d like an expert to answer, send it to curiouskidsus@theconversation.com.

Why are some people able to visualize scenarios in their minds, with...

Read more: What is mental imagery? Brain researchers explain the pictures in your mind and why they’re useful

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  1. A third of the world’s population lacks internet connectivity − airborne communications stations could change that
  2. All politicians change their minds – and have been flip-flopping on positions for hundreds of years
  3. From Kursk to Kursk: Putin’s attempt to project an image as Russia’s ‘protector’ has been punctured throughout his 25 years in power
  4. Urban wildfires disrupt streams and their tiny inhabitants − losing these insects is a warning of bigger water problems
  5. In domestic violence cases, police are more likely to make arrests when pets are abused, too
  6. People with physical and mobility disabilities need to work out, but there are a lot of obstacles in their way
  7. South Sudan’s long-delayed election will be a landmark moment − but economic decline and political strife put vote at risk
  8. Kamala’s kicks, Tim’s lids, and the red ties that bind Trump and Vance – what’s behind the fashion choices of each candidate
  9. ‘Coconut farmers for Harris,’ influencers and vertical signs – Smithsonian curators’ encounters at the Democratic National Convention
  10. Polaris Dawn mission to Earth’s orbit will test SpaceX’s capabilities for a commercial space program
  11. 4 ways Wissahickon Valley Park makes Philly more resilient against climate change
  12. The Polaris Dawn mission to Earth’s orbit will test SpaceX’s capabilities for a commercial space program
  13. No, the world isn’t heading toward a new Cold War – it’s closer to the grinding world order collapse of the 1930s
  14. How organized labor shames its traitors − the story of the ‘scab’
  15. US is unlikely to stop giving military aid to Israel − because it benefits from it
  16. What links aging and disease? A growing body of research says it’s a faulty metabolism
  17. Gift card scams generate billions for fraudsters and industry as regulators fail to protect consumers − and how one 83-year-old fell into the ‘fear bubble’
  18. Why gift cards fall into a gap in the 2-tier banking regulation system − and a brief history of why that gap exists
  19. From thoughts to words: How AI deciphers neural signals to help a man with ALS speak
  20. ‘Time poverty’ can keep college students from graduating − especially if they have jobs or children to care for
  21. Italian teenager Carlo Acutis’ upcoming canonization reflects the Vatican’s desire to appeal to a new generation of Catholics
  22. Can a political party get any attention when its rival holds a national convention? Yes, but it’s not easy
  23. How debt and taxes conspired to rob Nairobi’s slum-dwelling youth of the promise of a better life
  24. Treating Nord Stream blasts as a whodunit misses the point – and plays into Russia’s plan to distract and divide
  25. Want to fight gender inequality? A review of data from 118 counties shows that development aid works
  26. Want to fight gender inequality? A review of data from 118 countries shows that development aid works
  27. As human population grows, people and wildlife will share more living spaces around the world
  28. Thwaites Glacier won’t collapse like dominoes as feared, study finds, but that doesn’t mean the ‘Doomsday Glacier’ is stable
  29. Rural voters don’t necessarily love Walz, despite the camo hat and small-town upbringing
  30. Squid have tiny teeth in their suckers − scientists could use their unique properties to make self-healing materials
  31. Space missions are getting more complex − lessons from Amazon and FedEx can inform satellite and spacecraft management in orbit
  32. China leans into using AI − even as the US leads in developing it
  33. America’s Iran policy is a failure − piecemeal deterrence and sanctions can go only so far
  34. Democratic Party’s embrace of organized labor in 2024 elections has long roots that had started to wither
  35. Los Angeles is in a 4-year sprint to deliver a car-free 2028 Olympics
  36. Politicians step up attacks on the teaching of scientific theories in US schools
  37. Do Charli XCX’s and Kid Rock’s endorsements make a difference? 19% of young people admit they might
  38. AI pioneers want bots to replace human teachers – here’s why that’s unlikely
  39. Blood sugar fluctuations after eating play an important role in anxiety and depression
  40. The mystic and the mathematician: What the towering 20th-century thinkers Simone and André Weil can teach today’s math educators
  41. Readers prefer to click on a clear, simple headline − like this one
  42. 75 years ago, the KKK and anti-communists teamed up to violently stop a folk concert in NY
  43. Does Democratic VP candidate Walz swear too damn much?
  44. Sharks are taking a bite out of anglers’ catch in the Gulf of Mexico, but culling isn’t likely to help
  45. Biden administration’s negotiated price cuts for 10 common prescription drugs likely to save Medicare billions, beginning in 2026
  46. Why don’t more politicians retire? A medical anthropologist explains how the US could benefit from a mandatory retirement age
  47. Could we use volcanoes to make electricity?
  48. Ancient Rome had ways to counter the urban heat island effect – how history’s lessons apply to cities today
  49. Astronomers have warned against colonial practices in the space industry − a philosopher of science explains how the industry could explore other planets without exploiting them
  50. Anthropology students present their research in poetry, plays and op-eds in this course