I have a strong interest in current research about future thinking and future imagining because of significant benefits in medicine and personal leadership. Recently, I read dozens of journal publications on the subject. The lead author for one of the papers I read was Dr. Daniel L. Schacter, Harvard psychologist, who has spent the last three decades doing research in the cognitive neuroscience of memory, imagination, future thinking, creativity, and aging. In his article, he and his colleagues used the terms “future imagining” and “future thinking” in a way I thought was synonymous. Because I wanted to be sure, I wrote Dr. Schacter the email shown below. He was gracious to response within only a few hours.
Letter to Dr. Schacter
Hello Dr. Schacter,
Thank you for the work you do and your contribution to our understanding of the cognitive neuroscience of memory.
In your paper titled “Episodic future thinking: mechanisms and functions” you use the terms “future imagining” and “future thinking”
I am wondering, are these synonymous terms? If there is a difference, can you help me understand what that difference is?
Thank you so much.
Kenneth Acha, MD
Family Medicine Resident,
UCR School of Medicine
Response from Dr. Schacter
Hi – Thanks for your interest in the article. We were using the terms roughly synonymously in the article…
Daniel L. Schacter
William R. Kenan, Jr. Professor of Psychology
Department of Psychology
Harvard University
33 Kirkland St.
William James Hall
Cambridge, MA 02138
dls@wjh.harvard.edu
http://www.wjh.harvard.edu/~dsweb
Phone: (617) 495-3855
FAX: (617) 496-3122
My conclusion
As I have read many other articles, I’ve found that most authors use them as roughly synonymous as well.
So the answer to what’s the difference between “future imagining” and “future thinking” is that there is no difference.