How AI-animated historical photographs evoke emotional resonance: the mediating role of mental imagery and the moderating effect of perceived historical authenticity

This study examines how the presentation format of AI-animated historical photographs influences viewers' emotional and communicative responses. Although AI-based animation of historical photographs has become increasingly common in digital historical communication, the psychological mechanism through which dynamic presentation shapes audience engagement remains unclear. Drawing on mental imagery theory, this study proposes that dynamic presentation enhances emotional resonance by facilitating viewers' internal simulation of historical scenes, and that this effect is contingent on perceived historical authenticity. Three experiments were conducted to test this framework. Experiment 1 demonstrated that, compared with static presentation, dynamic presentation significantly increased emotional resonance. Experiment 2 further showed that mental imagery mediated the relationship between presentation format and emotional resonance, whereas emotional state and historical interest did not produce significant mediating effects. Experiment 3 introduced perceived historical authenticity as a moderator and found that the indirect effect of presentation format on emotional resonance through mental imagery was stronger when perceived historical authenticity was high. In addition, emotional resonance significantly predicted willingness to share, and mental imagery and emotional resonance jointly formed a serial mediation pathway linking presentation format to sharing intention. These findings indicate that the effects of AI-animated historical photographs cannot be explained solely by perceptual vividness. Rather, dynamic presentation influences audience response through simulation-based affective processing, and this process depends on whether viewers perceive the content as historically credible. By integrating presentation format, mental imagery, perceived historical authenticity, emotional resonance, and willingness to share into a unified framework, this study advances understanding of how AI-animated historical photographs are emotionally processed and socially circulated.