Lecture André Aleman

Come to the Academy Building where a cup of coffee/tea will be ready for you from 10:30 am.

The morning program starts at 11:00 with the following components: a welcome word from Rector Magnificus Prof. Dr. Ir. Jacquelien Scherpen, followed by the lecture by Prof. Dr. André Aleman and the announcement of the RUG Alumnus of the Year 2024.

André Aleman - The power of mental imagination
Does a German Shepherd have pointy ears or round ears? There's a good chance you're using mental imagery to answer this question: you create a picture of a German Shepherd dog in your head and inspect the shape of its ears. We use mental imagery to quickly perceive the world around us and to imagine possibilities in the future. Mental imagery can also get out of control, resulting in hallucinations. How this is possible is becoming increasingly clear from brain research, conducted in Groningen, among other places. Finally, mental imagination can be used to improve sports performance and promote our mental health. Recent examples from scientific research show that the power of mental imagination is not imagination, but reality.

The Alumni Day lecture by professor of cognitive neuropsychiatry Andre Aleman is about this and much more.

Note: this lecture will be held in Dutch.