Data Sheet 3_Defining imagination: a conceptual mapping and provisional model.pdf

This paper proposes a provisional conceptual model of imagination aimed at organizing existing terminology and clarifying imagination's structure and role in human cognition.</p>Methods<p>Using a conceptual review approach, the authors synthesize literature from psychology, neuroscience, philosophy, and related fields, focusing on work that defines, measures, or models imagination.

Sources were analyzed to identify recurring components and theoretical perspectives, which were then organized through an iterative process of comparison and integration.</p>Results<p>The review identifies 60 dimensions of imagination (in addition to eight forms of applied imagination), organizing these literature-derived terms into three overarching domains: cognitive-narrative, sensory-motor, and social-emotional. Building on these domains, the paper advances a conceptual model in which imagination is defined as the capacity to simulate, reconfigure, and extend beyond reality.