The long-lasting legacy of early experimental studies in visual mental imagery

Visual mental imagery is a core topic of cognitive psychology and cognitive neuroscience. Several early behavioral contributions were published in the Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance, and they continue to influence the field despite the advent of new technologies and statistical models that are used in contemporary research on mental imagery. Future research will lead to new discoveries showing a broader importance of mental imagery, ranging from consciousness, problemsolving, expectations, perception, and reality monitoring.