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Effects of microgravity on cognition: The case of mental imagery.
Journal article

Effects of microgravity on cognition: The case of mental imagery.

  • Grabherr L Department of Psychology, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland. grabherr@psy.unibe.ch
  • Mast FW
  • 2010-06-18
Published in:
  • Journal of vestibular research : equilibrium & orientation. - 2010
Cognition
Humans
Imagination
Mental Processes
Otolithic Membrane
Space Flight
Space Perception
Vestibule, Labyrinth
Weightlessness
English Human cognitive performance is an important factor for the successful and safe outcome of commercial and non-commercial manned space missions. This article aims to provide a systematic review of studies investigating the effects of microgravity on the cognitive abilities of parabolic or space flight participants due to the absence of the gravito-inertial force. We will focus on mental imagery: one of the best studied cognitive functions. Mental imagery is closely connected to perception and motor behavior. It aids important processes such as perceptual anticipation, problem solving and motor simulation, all of which are critical for space travel. Thirteen studies were identified and classified into the following topics: spatial representations, mental image transformations and motor imagery. While research on spatial representation and mental image transformation continues to grow and specific differences in cognitive functioning between 1 g and 0 g have been observed, motor imagery has thus far received little attention.
Language
  • English
Open access status
closed
Identifiers
Persistent URL
https://sonar.ch/global/documents/1290
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