Abstract
Facilitating engagement in rewarding activities is a key treatment target in depression. Mental imagery can increase engagement in planned behaviours, potentially due to its special role in representing emotionally salient experiences. The present study tested the hypothesis that mental imagery promotes motivation and engagement when planning pleasant and rewarding activities. Participants were recruited from a community volunteer panel (N = 72). They self-nominated six activities to complete over the following week, and were randomized to either: a) a single-session Motivational Imagery condition (N = 24); b) an Activity Reminder control condition (N = 24); or c) a No-Reminder control condition (N = 24). As predicted, relative to control groups, the Motivational Imagery group reported higher levels of motivation, anticipated pleasure, and anticipated reward for the planned activities. The Motivational Imagery group also completed significantly more activities than the Activity Reminder group, but not more than the No-Reminder group. Relevance of results to behavioural activation approaches for depression are discussed.
Highlights
We explored if a broader increase in self-reported behavioural activation, assessed with the Behavioural Activation for Depression Scale (BADS), and scores on the depression, anxiety, and stress scales of the DASS-21 changed from baseline to post activity week
This study examined whether guided motivational imagery enhanced motivation for, and behavioural engagement in planned enjoyable and routine activities
Compared with two conditions in which imagery was not explicitly encouraged, participants who had engaged in mental imagery simulation showed a stronger increase on all scales assessing motivational aspects of the scheduled activities from pre to post activity scheduling
Summary
Behaviour Research and Therapy 114 (2019) 51–59 activities via mental imagery (Renner & Holmes, 2018; Renner, Ji, Pictet, Holmes, & Blackwell, 2017). Mental imagery refers to perceptual experiences in the absence of sensory input, regarded as a “weak” form of perception (Pearson, Naselaris, Holmes, & Kosslyn, 2015). Mental imagery allows us to “pre-experience” future activities and thereby to anticipate their potential to be pleasant and rewarding (Holmes et al, 2016). We propose that mental imagery may act as a ‘motivational amplifier’, promoting actual engagement in activities (Renner & Holmes, 2018) by a) increasing motivational aspects of planned activities such as anticipated reward (near transfer), which serves to b) increase behavioural engagement in planned activities (far transfer)
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