Just another variant of psychological distance? The role of visual perspective in mental simulation.

Abstract

Mentally simulating a reality beyond one’s present experience is highly consequential. As such, the construction and contents of mental simulations serve as a focal point for research in a variety of domains. According to construal level theory, the psychological distance that characterizes a simulation is associated with predictable shifts in abstraction—a key determinate of the downstream consequences of mental simulation. Although a great deal of work has been dedicated to investigating how the psychological distance (i.e., social, spatial, temporal and hypotheticality) of mental simulations influences event construal, a separate body of evidence has explored the characteristics and consequences of mental simulations that vary in visuospatial perspective—a fundamental property of mental imagery. The current article probes how visual perspective fits into the framework of construal level theory and, in particular, the extent to which visual perspective can be considered a form of social distance. We conclude that visual perspective is empirically and theoretically distinct from social distance, but can impact construal in a manner similar to psychological distance. Thus, the burgeoning literature on visual perspective may provide a roadmap for how other forms of distance could impact the emotions, judgments, and behaviors that accompany or follow mental simulations.

Concave or convex? The impact of display surface curvature on social appeals’ persuasion: the mediating role of self–other overlap

“…Finally, on a theoretical level, it is worth noting that the process variable of perceived self–other overlap is conceptually similar to the social dimension of psychological distance (Tausen et al , 2020; Trope and Liberman, 2010). As such, the display curvature may also influence psychological distance from a social perspective.…”

The Mental Landscape of Imagining Life Beyond the Current Life Span: Implications for Construal and Self-Continuity

“…If this is the case, then differences in self-continuity ratings between the control and experimental conditions may be better attributed to the hypotheticality component of psychological distance rather than the temporal components. Future work will be necessary to unpack the relationship between different aspects of psychological distance on the effects of self-continuity (see Tausen et al, 2019 for discussion).…”

“…Moreover, hypothetical future aging scenarios that varied in temporal distance did not differ in self-continuity. Woven into the framework of Construal Level Theory ( Trope & Liberman, 2010 ), it is possible that decreased self-continuity is a natural consequence of psychological distance, but that perceived hypotheticality, even more than temporal distance, is a key determinant (see Tausen et al, 2019 ). Future work will be necessary to test these hypotheses and disentangle the roles of hypotheticality and temporal distance when investigating the sense of self-continuity that accompanies prospection.…”

“…The selection of these variables was informed by previous work that has investigated thinking about one’s future self within the boundaries of the current life expectancy ( Hershfield et al, 2011 ; Macrae et al, 2017 ; Pronin et al, 2008 ; Pronin & Ross, 2006 ; Wakslak et al, 2008 ). All of these imagery qualities have been assessed using single-item, face valid measures adopted from the mental imagery literature (see Macrae et al, 2015 ; Tausen et al, 2018 , 2019 ). Each of our three studies also considered perceptions of the likelihood and ethicality of life extension in order to accurately describe the samples (and their corresponding assumptions) under investigation in the current research.…”

“…Curiously, the visual perspective employed to imagine an event has a significant impact on one’s sense of self-continuity ( Tausen, Miles, Lawrie, & Macrae, 2018 ). Not only can a lack of continuity manifest in the adoption of a third-person perspective, but manipulating perspective can result in feeling disconnected from one’s past or future self (see Tausen, Carpenter, & Macrae, 2019 for review). For individuals who feel more in tune with their future selves, or acknowledge stronger links between current decisions and future consequences, there is less difference between choices made for the near and distant future ( Bartels & Urminsky, 2011 ; Hershfield, 2011 ; Mitchell, Schirmer, Ames, & Gilbert, 2011 ; Parfit, 1971 , 1987 ; Schelling, 1984 ; Stephan, Shidlovoski, & Sedlikides, 2018 ; Thaler & Shefrin, 1981 ).…”