Jackie Andrade: “Reimagining Motivation”

Have you ever wondered why some goals are easier to pursue than others, or how mental images can influence motivation and behaviour?

Join us for a seminar with Professor Jackie Andrade, Professor of Psychology at the University of Plymouth, whose research examines the role of mental imagery in motivation and behaviour change.

Title: Reimagining Motivation

Abstract: Imagery is our most emotive form of thinking, incorporating the senses, actions, and feelings we experience in real life. Images of past trauma, addictive rewards, or feared future events often drive mental ill health but provide promising targets for psychological treatments. I will present a model of how imagery drives motivation and behavioural choices, and describe an intervention grounded in evidence on imagery and motivation. This intervention, functional imagery training or FIT, has shown promise in improvement physical and mental health behaviours. I shall present findings from recent studies and trials of FIT.

Speaker: Professor Jackie Andrade

Bio: Jackie Andrade did her degree in natural sciences at the University of Cambridge in the UK followed by a PhD in memory at the University of Manchester. After a brief stint in the pharmaceutical industry, she got a job with Alan Baddeley at the Applied Psychology Unit in Cambridge, working on a range of topics including working memory, imagery, and awareness during anaesthesia. Her research collaborations with David Kavanagh and Jon May stem from that time. In 2007, Jackie moved from the University of Sheffield to the University of Plymouth, where she is a professor of psychology. She is currently writing a book on functional imagery training.