Don’t just think there, do something: A call for action in psychological science

•Simulating alternate pasts and hypothetical futures is studied in thought experiments.•A move from imagining of doing to actual doing in scientific experiments is suggested.•The model of re- and pre-experiencing life episodes in psychodrama is suitable for it.•A constructive synergy between action methods and cognitive sciences is possible.

This paper challenges what seems to be a scientific axiom in prospective simulation and memory reconsolidation experiments, namely that projecting ourselves back into the past or forward into the future belongs exclusively to the category of a thought experiment. Using the clinical model of re- and pre-experiencing life episodes in psychodrama, the paper investigates, both conceptually and practically, a move from the imagining of doing to actual doing, from virtual, reproduced in-the-mind versions of experimentation to real, witnessed and executed experiments. Supporting evidence is provided, suggesting that this trend would evoke a unique plethora of neurological and psychological processes, relevant to the world outside the lab, without jeopardizing a general description of the phenomena. On the contrary, recognizing the primacy of the action and interaction would help contextualize cognitive activity, and thus assist scientists and practitioners to achieve their intended goals.