Validating the Plymouth Sensory Imagery Questionnaire in the Russian Sample

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.

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