What is Mental Simulation?
Mental Simulation has been a subject of research and interest of many authors and scientists. As such, we have compiled definitions from different sources but all adding more value and deepening our understanding of the subject.
As per Society for Simulation in Healthcare dictionary:
- Mental Simulation \ ˈmen-tᵊl \ n sim-yuh-ley-shuh n \ noun. Etym. mental (adj.) early 15c., “in, of, or pertaining to the mind; characteristic of the intellect,” from Late Latin mentalis “of the mind,” from Latin mens (genitive mentis) “mind,” from PIE root men- “to think.” Etym. simulation (n.) noun of action from past participle stem of simulare “imitate,” from stem of similes “like”. Meaning “a model or mock-up for purposes of experiment or training” is from 1954.
- Definition – Mentally rehearsing an action to enhance performance (Van Meer & Theunissen, 2009).
- “Cognitive rehearsal of a task in the absence of overt physical movement” (Driskell, 1994, p. 481) that “can be used to learn cognitive, kinesthetic, psychomotor, or technical skills” (Rao et al., 2015, p. 545).
- Activities that take place in the brain such as mental imagery, imagination, thought flow, narrative transportation, fantasizing, and counterfactual thinking. These are specific processes that occur in the brain when an individual is mentally simulating an action, forming a mental image, or are focused on the consequences of mental simulation processes for affect, cognition, motivation, and behavior (Markman et al., 2009).
- Mental simulation is the ability to construct mental models to imagine what will happen or what could be.
Analogues of mental simulation and imagination in deep learning – ScienceDirect - Mental simulation provides a window on the future by enabling people to envision possibilities and develop plans for bringing those possibilities about. In moving oneself from a current situation toward an envisioned future one, the anticipation and management of emotions and the initiation and maintenance of problem-solving activities are fundamental tasks.
Harnessing the imagination: Mental simulation, self-regulation, and coping.
In its purest form, mental practice is the cognitive rehearsal of a task without overt physical movement, although some researchers have added physical movements to enhance the effects of the mental practice. Mental practice has been variously termed “imaginary practice,” “covert rehearsal,” “conceptualization,” or “mental imagery rehearsal” .. It can be used to enhance the acquisition of new technical skills, and increase emotional preparedness to perform in stressful situations, both qualities applicable to the training of surgical residents. Mental Practice and Acquisition of Motor Skills: Examples from Sports Training and Surgical Education – Obstetrics and Gynecology Clinics
