“A picture is worth a thousand words,” “I’ll believe it when I see it,” “What has been seen can not be unseen.” All of these expressions testify to our commonsense understanding that a picture, or an image, is an important part of our everyday experience. Whether it is observed in our physical environment as a visual photograph, film, or text or in our “mind’s eye,” we recognize the presence of images in our daily lives.

The field of mental imagery has come a long way since 1913, when Watson proclaimed that images were merely the ghost of sensation and scientific psychology relegated the study of images to the back burner. Recent evidence suggests that images may significantly impact our judgments, emotions, and bodily responses. In contemporary experimental and clinical cognitive psychology, mental imagery is a hot topic, with a growing literature that is relevant to students in the fields of psychology, counseling, education, rehabilitation, sports, and allied disciplines.

The Imagery Institute at St. John’s University has been established as a research and education facility for the study of mental images in normal psychological development as well as psychopathology. Keeping pace with this fast-growing area of research in psychology, the Institute offers a comprehensive library of imagery materials, educational programs and a state-of-the-art psychophysiology research lab. The Institute supports and encourages other disciplines within the University to participate in order to promote a diversity of innovative projects.

The Institute is wheelchair accessible, equipped with wireless internet connectivity, and located at:

Utopia Center, Suite 325
176-60 Union Turnpike
Flushing, NY 11439