title: Schizotypy and mental time travel.
abstract: Mental time travel is the capacity to imagine the autobiographical past and future. Schizotypy is a dimensional measure of psychosis-like traits found to be associated with creativity and imagination. Here, we examine the phenomenological qualities of mental time travel in highly schizotypal individuals. After recollecting past episodes (autobiographical memory) and imagining future events (episodic future thinking), those scoring highly on positive schizotypy reported a greater sense of 'autonoetic awareness,' defined as a greater feeling of mental time travel and re-living/'pre-living' imagined events. Furthermore, in contrast to other sensory domains, imagery of the past and future episodes contained more olfactory detail in these high scorers. The results are discussed in relation to previous reports of anomalous olfactory experiences in schizotypy and heightened vividness of olfactory imagery in post-traumatic stress disorder, for which schizotypy is a risk factor.
authors.affiliation: Research Department of Clinical, Educational and Health Psychology, University College London, London, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Hannah
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Winfield
authors.forename: Sunjeev K
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Kamboj
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002910:Chronology as Topic; D003071:Cognition; D004213:Dissociative Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology; D005201:Fantasy; D005260:Female; D005544:Forecasting; D006801:Humans; D007092:Imagination; D008016:Life Change Events; D008297:Male; D011939:Mental Recall; D008875:Middle Aged; D010555:Personality Inventory; D012307:Risk Factors; D012569:Schizotypal Personality Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology*; D012903:Smell / Q000502:physiology; D013313:Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013850:Thinking; D013995:Time