What is the definition of mental time travel? How to measure it?

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Definition of Mental Time Travel

Mental time travel is the capacity to mentally reconstruct personal events from the past (episodic memory) as well as to imagine possible scenarios in the future (episodic foresight or future thinking). It involves the ability to mentally project oneself into the past or future, allowing for the recollection of past experiences and the simulation of future events.

Measuring Mental Time Travel

Researchers typically measure mental time travel using a combination of self-report measures, behavioral tasks, and neuroimaging techniques:

Self-report measures assess individuals' subjective experiences of remembering the past and imagining the future.

Behavioral tasks involve recalling specific past events or generating plausible future scenarios.

Neuroimaging studies examine the brain regions and networks involved in mental time travel, such as the hippocampus and default mode network.