Mental Imagery In Action
Mental Imagery In Action
Western Interdisciplinary Research Building (WIRB)
When humans grasp objects we engage complex visual systems that allow us to make highly accurate movements. But in everyday life we often grasp objects that are not in our sight, such as a glass of water on our bedside table in the night. How do grasp objects that we can't see? One possibility is that we use mental imagery to imagine the location of the object in relation to our hand. In this study we test how people with no mental imagery are able to reach and grasp for objects that are not in their sight and whether they are prone to less accurate movements under these conditions.
Adults 17-60 years old
Healthy volunteers
Right-handed
Who can participate in this study?
Healthy Participants
Inclusion Criteria:
1. age between 17-60 years old.
2. Right-handed.
3. Normal or corrected to normal vision.
Exclusion Criteria:
1. Are unable to use their right arm/hand to reach and grasp objects.
2. Have any relevant history of Neurological or Musculoskeletal, or vision disorders.
3. Have any history of "lazy eye" or depth perception problem.
What is involved?
The study will take 2 hours to complete. Participants will first complete a test that assesses their ability to perceive depth using binocular vision (e.g., Randot stereotest).
Next participants will be asked to perform different movements like reaching-to-grasp, pantomiming,or estimating the size of simple 3D objects, sometimes with their vision occluded. While completing the tasks, participant hand movements will be measured using a motion capture system.
Then participants will complete a series of questionnaires that assess their mental imagery abilities (e.g., the Vividness of Visual Imagery Questionnaire or VVIQ, the Object and Spatial Imagery and Verbal Questionnaire), and measure their dominant hand (e.g., the Edinburgh Handedness Inventory).
Participants will be compensated for their time.
Principal Investigator, Study Identifier, & Posting Dates
Principal Investigator: Jody Culham
Study posted on: May 5th, 2026
Recruitment open until: May 5th, 2027
Who can I contact to learn more about this study?
For more information about this study please contact:
Emiko Muraki: emuraki@uwo.ca
Sign Up for Western's Global Cognitive Neuroscience Registry
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