imagination allows us to think about things that we can’t see. like other people’s minds, the future, possible outcomes of choices we make, fictional worlds, and more. it is a central part of the glue that holds together the social world. the central focus of the lab’s research is our imaginative ability to step outside our own perspective, disengage from the here and now, and take a different perspective, including the perspective of another person and of ourselves at a different point in time.

in the imagination lab we carry out research into social cognition in the areas of perspective taking, mentalising and neuroeconomics. the methods we use are dictated by the question we try to answer. the question comes first, then we pick the best method to tackle it.

main questions:

1. How do we take someone else’s perspective?

2. How do we make decisions for ourselves?

3. How do we make decisions for others?

the imagination lab is run by Dr Fenja Ziegler, who is a Principal Lecturer in psychology.

the Imagination Lab is part of the Evolution and Development group in the School of Psychology at the University of Lincoln.