Investigating the Effect of Mental Imagery Future Based Episodic Simulation on Subsequent Behavioural Engagement in Depressed, Dysphoric and Non-Depressed Individuals

Previous work has suggested that mental imagery may represent a useful strategy for improving prospection and may also help to motivate goal-directed behaviours. Given depressed individuals have difficultly engaging with pleasurable activities, this study aimed to explore the effect of motivational mental imagery on behavioural engagement in non-depressed, dysphoric, and depressed individuals. Participants selected four activities they wished to engage in and rated expected outcomes and anticipated emotions relating to activity completion before and after mental elaboration of each activity using either motivational mental imagery or verbal reasoning. Over the following week, utilising ecological momentary assessment (EMA), participants recorded the frequency with which they engaged in their chosen activities. Results showed both conditions led to similar levels of behavioural engagement, however exploratory analysis found differences in the potential underlying mechanisms, suggesting that whilst both tasks may influence behavioural engagement, the underlying mechanism/s by which behavioural engagement is occurring are different.