How do people with aphantasia think?

Dr. Julia Simner addresses a common misconception that people with aphantasia must be ‘verbal thinkers’ in this presentation from the 2021 Extreme Imagination Conference and Exhibition.

Studies from the lab showed that people with aphantasia actually report less verbal thinking styles but are not impaired in visual and verbal tasks. Their low visual and verbal thinking style might initially suggest that people with aphantasia have thinking deficits – however, multiple studies found this was not the case: people with aphantasia were not impaired by these differences and were just as accurate – or better -- than controls in several visual and verbal tasks (e.g., colour memory, spelling, factual recall).

Their thinking is iconic, simulating real-world objects, which means they possess knowledge of visual and auditory information but do not express it as imagery. These results offer an alternative perspective or explanation, people with aphantasia do not have a “blind mind’s eye” or even a “deaf mind’s ear.”

Instead, they have a "knowing mind’s eye/ear," says Simner.

Think you might experience aphantasia? [ Ссылка ]
For more information about the Extreme Imagination Conference and Exhibition [ Ссылка ]

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