ReaderBank

This short quiz is designed to reveal which features of the imagination are most prominent while you read.

If you've been following us, did you sign up for ReaderBank and do all the modules? Help us with our research and join us on the journey of exploring the reading mind!

readerbank.org

Although we tend to talk about the imagination as if it were just one 'thing', it's actually the result of a combination of several different processes.

It's possible that people vary in terms of which of these processes remain in the background, and which ones end up entering conscious awareness.

Text saying 'The Imagination Quiz by ReaderBank' under a white silhouette of a person reading a book leaning against a big open book. Orange background with a line drawing of a medieval castle. A red decorative flower at the top.

And last but never the least: The Imagination Quiz!
readerbank.org/experience/imagination-quiz

How do people imagine while they read? And does everyone imagine in the same way?

In VoiceMatch, explore how the voices of the same fictional characters - such as Alice, Lady Macbeth, Heathcliff and many more - can sound different to different readers.

This phenomenon is rooted in how our brains simulate fictional characters, specifically when representing their looks, behaviours, and yes, their voices too.

Text saying 'VoiceMatch by ReaderBank' under a line drawing that looks like a hand holding a brain, with soundwaves. A purple background overlayed with soundwaves. A picture of a purple flower in the right bottom corner for decorative purposes.

Thursday spotlight: VoiceMatch!
readerbank.org/experience/voicematch

Ever read a book, vividly imagined a character, and then watched a film or TV. adaptation only to feel that the actor’s voice was just… wrong?

For some stories, we connect with the characters in ways that can be hard to express: we might be friends for life, see the world through their eyes, or even imagine walking in their footsteps. But how and why does this process occur – and what might it say about the mind?

Text saying 'In It Together' with a graphic of three people rowing on a boat. A blue background that looks like an ocean bed, so the picture seems to be underwater.

Today, let's talk about In It Together: readerbank.org/experience/in-it-together

In this module we will explore the relationships we have to the characters in a book.

Things become more complex though when we cannot make up our minds about how we feel. Do we want to stop reading? Are we intrigued? Maybe both?

This module will ask what happens when something makes us feel mixed, often contrasting, emotions - and in what ways this affects our reading experiences.

Text saying 'In-Two Minds by ReaderBank' and a line drawing of a happy face and an angry face, overlayed on a peach background. Greek columns and two mirrored images of the Greek god Janus can be seen in the background.

Today's spotlight is on In-Two Minds: readerbank.org/experience/in-two-minds

Stories we read can often be like an emotional rollercoaster - positive moments can make us smile, tragedy can make us tear up, and a ghost story can even give us a good scare.

This might help us figure out how to improve mental health across many different populations, and will enrich our idea of what it mean to, and how we can, ‘repair’.

Repair will ask you about your inner experiences, imagination, and daydreams. With reading being an activity steeped in imagination, we want to better understand how this and our mental health are intertwined.

The repair logo - a roll of white thread, threaded through a button with the text 'Repair by ReaderBank' on a brown cloth-textured background. Beige dry flowers overlayed for decoration.

It’s been a week since we launched our new website! This week, let’s take a closer look at our modules.
First up, Repair.

readerbank.org/experience/r...

The ReaderBank website: black text on a blue-purple background saying 'Reimagining imagination. How do you imagine the things you read? Discover more about your mind and contribute to cutting-edge research on the science of our inner worlds.' Two buttons saying 'Find out more' and 'Get involved'. A blue and red flower overlayed on top for decoration.

ReaderBank has a sparkly new website!
readerbank.org
And new modules to help us better understand reading experiences, how the imagination works and what this means for mental health.
Sign up to get involved in the world’s most ambitious study of the reading imagination!

🧵

Ben Alderson-Day and Mary Robson on stage, with backs of audience members in the foreground.

Arya Ray speaking on stage, pointing at something to his left. Audience members in the foreground. The background says Edinburgh International Book Festival.

Georgia Punton speaking on stage. Audience members in the foreground. The background says Edinburgh International Book Festival.

Six ReaderBank modules: The Imagination Quiz, Repair, In It Together, VoiceMatch, In-Two Minds, Between the Lines (Readerbank × Canongate)

And scene! Our time at the @edbookfest.bsky.social was exciting and rewarding!

It’s not over yet – our website is still buzzing with activity, and the modules are still live online.

Explore how we imagine, how we feel, how we read, and what that means for our mental health!

readerbank.org

Mary, Ben, Jenny and Emily sit onstage with screens on either side, facing a mixed audience. The screens show colorful graphics.

A close up of Jenny Kleeman.

A close up of Ben Alderson-Day as he speaks, gesturing with his hand.

Our lead researcher @aldersonday.bsky.social joins @jennykleeman.bsky.social and Emily Postan to talk about mental health and the use of digital technologies like AI for treatment. In this shifting landscape, what considerations and safeguards are needed to embed these treatments in the mainstream?

Ben Alderson-Day, Adam Zeman and Dina Nayeri speaking on stage wearing a radio mic. Blurred audience members in the foreground.

A close-up of Ben Alderson-Day speaking on stage wearing a radio mic. Blurred audience members in the foreground.

So much unpacked at ‘The Science of Imagination’ today! Our v. own @aldersonday.bsky.social was in conversation with neurologist Adam Zeman, exploring the latest scientific research on the brain’s creative powers, from the phenomenon of ‘aphantasia’ to what happens in our minds as we imagine.

The Forces of the Imagination: Exploring dimensions of mental imagery using the ReaderBank Imagination Quiz (RBIQ): https://doi.org/10.31234/osf.io/47hq9_v1

A number of picture cards on a table showing the words Readerbank, the Chameleon, the Narrator and other examples.

The #ReaderBank Imagination Quiz aims to understand readers’ imaginations with potential to enhance mental health therapies.

shorturl.at/gHVSx

@thereaderbank.bsky.social @durhamimh.bsky.social @durhampsych.bsky.social @aldersonday.bsky.social @georgiapunton.bsky.social @edbookfest.bsky.social

Damian Barr holding a copy of his new book, The Two Roberts. The cover depicts two people lying next to each other, with blue, brown, red and pink colourful streaks of colour in the foreground.

Red background overlayed with a picture of the interior of the Glasgow School of Art - long corridors and two balconied floors on either side. On top, a line sketch of two faces and text saying 'Between the Lines - ReaderBank × Canongate. A novel experience in reading.'

The Two Roberts is a riveting love story of two passionate and brave painters from the Glasgow School of Art, and we cannot wait to find out what it does to the reading imagination!

In this exciting endeavour, we invited readers to read @damianbarr.bsky.social‬’s latest, The Two Roberts, and tell us what’s going through their minds in real time.

🚀 At our public workshop @edbookfest.bsky.social today, we launched our new project ‘Between the Lines’ in collaboration with @canongate.co.uk.

The ReaderBank website: black text on a blue-purple background saying 'Reimagining imagination. How do you imagine the things you read? Discover more about your mind and contribute to cutting-edge research on the science of our inner worlds.' Two buttons saying 'Find out more' and 'Get involved'. A blue and red flower overlayed on top for decoration.

It’s our first day at @edbookfest.bsky.social and our website has had a glow-up – go and take a look!
readerbank.org

New from @durhamimh.bsky.social - the first @thereaderbank.bsky.social paper! We identify 4 factors in a new scale of reading imagery, the ReaderBank Imagination Quiz.

Well done 1st author @georgiapunton.bsky.social & thanks to our partners at @edbookfest.bsky.social

Cc @durhampsych.bsky.social

👏👏👏 Congratulations to @georgiapunton.bsky.social, Marco Bernini, John Foxwell, @nickbarley.bsky.social, & @aldersonday.bsky.social @thereaderbank.bsky.social

🔥Hot off the press! New pre-print with the v. first findings from our study of reading, the imagination and mental health in collab with @edbookfest.bsky.social

doi.org/10.31234/osf...

A poster with a beige background with the text 'Readerbank: Unlocking the Mind and Mental Health' at the top and '13 August, 17:30-18:30, Venue B' at the bottom. The body of the text is redacted, and a red 'Top Secret' stamp on top of it.

Are you ready for tomorrow? We can't wait for our public workshop on 'Unlocking the Mind and Mental Health'.
There's a surprise in store...

#Readerbank is back at @edbookfest.bsky.social! Excited to support our fantastic team, led by @aldersonday.bsky.social, run an invitation-only event for publishers, agents & writers. Professor in Practice @nickbarley.bsky.social begins with the big question: what happens in our minds when we read?

So exciting to forge new connections with members and partners of the book industry in our #ReaderBank2025 workshop with writers, publishers and editors at @edbookfest.bsky.social today.
Thank you to everyone who contributed to our rich and rewarding discussions!

Thanks so much for spotting that! We're new to Bluesky and just learning the ropes - we will definitely include alt text for all future posts.