Images, imagination and psychology: a long-lasting love story

Abstract

The present editorial describes the role played by several research fields within the psychological area and suggests reasons why psychological researchers could submit their work to the IMG journal. The contribution of the psychological perspective on the study of images processing and imagination is out of doubt. Subfields like perception and imagery have a straight-forward relevance, given that they study how these cognitive processes manage and elaborate external and internal visual stimulation. In addition, other psychological subfields are thought to play an important role because of their tight connection with perception and imagery. Examples presented in this editorial are memory, language, psychology of thought, planning and cognitive ergonomics, although many other subfields could also show connections. In the final part, the relevance of the IMG journal for cognitive scientists is outlined. The propagation of results from the psychological point of view to design, architecture and education, and viceversa, could stimulate discussion and allow development of reliable ideas. Moreover, the creation of multidisciplinary research projects or groups could help to produce effective outcomes in the society.