Robin Chamoy: Imagination and Childhood Beliefs

Abstract

Imagination inflation refers to the increased confidence of a childhood event occurring after imagining the event. To explore whether there are individual differences in susceptibility to imagination, participants first completed a life events inventory (LEI) that asked about childhood experiences. Next, they imagined each of 4 target items for several minutes (for example, breaking a window with their hand). Following the imagination, they took four tests using the Cognometer, a computer program designed to measure working memory capacity and short-term memory. During the follow-up session, participants again completed the life events inventory, the recall questionnaire, the Dissociative Experiences Scale, and a suggestibility scale. I hypothesized that there would be a moderate correlation between participants' susceptibility to imagination inflation and their scores on the DES and a suggestibility scale.