This study investigates whether individual differences in imagining common experiences are reflected in brain activity. Using fMRI, the researchers scanned 26 participants while they vividly imagined 20 common scenarios. Personalized models of each participant's imagined experiences were created from their verbal descriptions and self-ratings of sensory, motor, cognitive, and emotional aspects. Results showed that participants' neural representations were better predicted by their own models than by others', demonstrating that neuroimaging and personalized models can quantify individual differences in imagined experiences.

Andrew James Anderson, Kelsey McDermott, Brian Rooks, Kathi L. Heffner, David Dodell-Feder, Feng V. Lin