The Relationship Etween Optimism And Vividness Of Imagery And Intervention Study

Why some persons’future is filled with light and unlimited potential, and some only sorrow and uncertainty? Over the last 30 years, optimism served as an positive resource has been widely noted. A lot of cross-sectional and longitudinal researches have point out that optimism can predict life satisfaction. Optimism may have higher self-esteem and lower depression. They can do better to prevent disease. Optimism has so many benefits, how we can become more optimistic?The activity cycle theory of conscious imagery claims that imagery is part-and-parcel of everyday cognitive activity in form of thinking, problem solving, memory and imagination. And imagery has emotional and motivational components. They theory claims that vividness is one of the most important characteristics of imagery. Conscious imagery facilitates the performance of a lot of perceptual-motor and cognitive tasks. The greater the vividness of the imagery, the more perfect the performance of skilled perceptual-motor tasks.In first study, we talked about the relationship between optimism and the vividness of event imagery. This result could provide the changeable target for the further intervention. The study 2 which connected with study 1 carried out two kinds of interventions (Best Possible Self image training and Positive Experience image training) to improve subjects’level of optimism. The study 2 aimed at exploring the effectiveness and stability of the two kinds of image training.Study 1:Recruiting 246 college students, all of the subjects should complete the Vividness of Visual Imagery Questionnaire.Past and Future Imagery Task and Indigenous Optimism Questionnaire.Study 2:Recruiting 54 college students, subjects were random allocated across Best Possible Self image training, Positive Experience image training and A Typical Day image training (control condition). All of the subjects should accept the follow tests thrice (before the training, post intervention and 1-week follow up). The tests concluded the Vividness of Visual Imagery Questionnaire, Indigenous Optimism Questionnaire and the Satisfaction With Life Scale. This study adopted single blind experiment design. The subjects were told that the goal of our training was improving their ability to generate imagery (visualization).The results prove that:(1) Optimism has significant positive correlation with vividness of positive imagery (concluding future and past events). When adjusting for other potentially confounding variables, the relationship remain significant. It reflects that higher levels of optimism may be connected with the ability to generate more vivid imagery of positive future and past events. (2) No matter the what the time orientation is, the vividness of positive events’imagery always be higher than he vividness of passive events’imagery, and there is a positive correlation between the difference and level of optimism. For positive events, there is no significant difference between the vividness of past and future. For passive events, there is significant difference between the vividness of past and future, but there is no significant correlation between the difference and level of optimism. (3) For optimism, both Best Possible Self image training and Positive Experience image training can effectively raise the subjects’level of optimism. Further analysis found that the best possible self image training main effect to the ascent of the acceptance and efforts, but Positive experience image training main effect in reducing negative expectations. (4) For life sat-isfaction, both Best Possible Self image training and Positive Experience image training can effectively raise the subjects’level of life satisfaction, the Best Possible Self Image training shows promotion effect in 1 week after completion of training. (5) For vividness of imagery, only Best Possible Self image training could improve subjects’vividness of visual imagery in the end of the training. Although for the subjects that Under Best Possible Self image training and Positive Experience image training, the graphics display that their vividness score show a rising trend, the tendency have not reached significant level.