Humans sometimes picture themselves from an external vantage point, particularly when they consider events in a broader context or care about their reputation

Picturing yourself: a social-cognitive process model to integrate third-person imagery effects. Zachary Adolph Niese,Richard P. Eibach &Lisa K. Libby. Journal of Cognitive Psychology, Apr 13 2021. https://doi.org/10.1080/20445911.2021.1912051

Rolf Degen's take: https://twitter.com/DegenRolf/status/1382386165299486721

Abstract: People have a fascinating capacity to picture their actions from an external vantage point. Much of the research on this third-person imagery has focused on the specific effects it has on cognition due to the elements of episodic experience that it lacks relative to first-person imagery. Other research focuses on the information that the third-person provides that first-person imagery lacks. We propose a more systematic approach that conceptualises how third-person imagery’s various effects interrelate due to a common underlying social-cognitive function. Specifically, we outline an integrative model proposing that third-person and first-person imagery cause people to adopt qualitatively distinct processing styles. This model explains many of the diverse effects that have been documented in the literature and helps reconcile seemingly discrepant findings. We conclude with recommendations for strategies to more systematically investigate the functions of visual perspective in mental imagery to build more comprehensive understanding of this phenomenological variable.

KEYWORDS: visual imagery perspectivethird-person imageryprocessing styles