Validating the Plymouth Sensory Imagery Questionnaire in the Russian Sample

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Abstract

Mental imagery (secondary images, mental representations) is defined as the contents of consciousness that are phenomenologically close to sensory images but arise without external stimulation of the senses. The paper presents the results of validating the Russian version of the Plymouth Sensory Imagery Questionnaire that measures the self-reported vividness of mental images pertaining to different sensory modalities. The sample consisted of 253 participants 17–50 years old. The original 7 scales (vision, sound, smell, taste, touch, bodily sensation, and emotions) and the total image vividness scale were confirmed after excluding 3 items due to low factor loadings. The same factor structure was confirmed for the short version of the questionnaire. The total scales for the full and short versions had high internal and acceptable test-retest reliability; the reliability for the subscales varied. Convergent validity testing showed significant correlations between all the subscales of the Plymouth Questionnaire and visual imagery vividness, but most modality preference scales correlated with the emotion subscale. The Plymouth Sensory Imagery Scale can be used for research, although the stability of imagery across modalities needs further investigation.

General Information

Keywords: mental imagery, imagery vividness, perception modalities, modality preference, questionnaire validity

Journal rubric: Psychodiagnostics

Article type: scientific article

DOI: https://doi.org/10.17759/exppsy.2024170310

Funding. The study was funded by Russian Science Foundation, grant no. 23-78-01141.

Received: 11.04.2024

Accepted:

For citation: Razvaliaeva A.Y. Validating the Plymouth Sensory Imagery Questionnaire in the Russian Sample. Eksperimental'naâ psihologiâ = Experimental Psychology (Russia), 2024. Vol. 17, no. 3, pp. 144–157. DOI: 10.17759/exppsy.2024170310. (In Russ., аbstr. in Engl.)

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Information About the Authors

Anna Y. Razvaliaeva, PhD in Psychology, Researcher, Laboratory of Cognitive Processes and Mathematical Psychology, Institute of Psychology of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia, ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2046-3411, e-mail: annraz@rambler.ru

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