Are You a Visualizer or Conceptualizer? The Ball on a Table Test

I just discovered that I have aphantasia. It definitely sucks, but the silver lining is that it hasn't harmed my career or relationships or love of life... and maybe has even helped.

I discovered I have Aphantasia 4 days ago and I’m still reeling. I’m 64. I tried the ball on the table experiment and couldn’t answer the questions. I just ‘imagined’ it like a maths problem. I do have vivid dreams occasionally so I know what I’m missing and I’m gutted I don’t have this superpower. Every day now has a new bombshell. Today was my friend saying “you mean when you listen to audio books you can’t visualise the story?” Yup. That’s me

I discovered that I'm a global aphantasic with SDAM a few years ago at age 69 after reading an article I stumbled upon. My subsequent inquiries led me to the aphantasia network which has really helped me understand basically my whole life! So thank you for that. When asked about the ball I determined that there was a ball, I decided it would be blue, I decided there was a woman although I had no idea what she looked like nor did I have an inclination to decide, and that the table would be a card table that the ball would roll off of. Although I enjoy reading books that have a great deal of visual detail I personally like to keep descriptions of things very simple. Thanks so much for the valuable service you are providing to the community. I'm enjoying the research studies and dialogues immensely.

Well this was hilarious and I did laugh out loud at the baffling questions, especially the ones about the person! What I appear to do is to hold space for the idea of a ball on top of the space for the idea of a table with the idea of a human next to it who could push the ball. When asked about the ball, I said that because the ball is just an idea it could be any colour, texture, pattern or size you want it to be, and therefore I couldn’t supply any of the answers. The same for the table and the person. I didn’t visualise or imagine any of these details even when asked those specific questions. It’s purely a ‘blank’ concept. Logically I had reasoned that an imaginary ball could be a medium sized ball eg about the size of a basketball, and that logically the table wouldn’t need to be big in order to hold the ball. But these were just logical thoughts with no visuals or details.

For me, I can picture Vividly whatever ball I decide, being pushed by whoever, wearing whatever and on whatever kind of table, but I have to consciously Choose each one, otherwise it keeps flipping between all possible options for the concept I am picturing. for instance, take trying to draw an apple? simple enough, all apples look similar...but halfway through the drawing there is a bite out of the apple, now its a pie, maybe its still on the tree? or its rotten and got a worm sticking out of it. and trying to colour it is the worst because nothing Looks right until I decide Exactly what colours are Supposed to be where and set in stone what kind of apple it is because its impossible to capture the concept of All apples. another is a lake scene, just picturing waves lapping at the shore of a forested lake...but sometimes its winter, or there is a mountain in the background. oop there's a fish I have to hold onto each detail that i want to remain constant, and constantly repeat them until the image is solidified...and hope it doesn't slip

I saw a green Tennisball on that table which is shown at the top of this page. When it comes to who pushed it… well I saw myself reached out to that Tennisball on some elevated place. Can’t see that table nor that I pushed the ball.

As someone with aphantasia, I often think it must be very limiting to have to pick specific configurations of a ball, table, color, etc. I asked my husband (who has hyperphantasia) about it, and he says he can adjust all the details at will, instantly, if he wants to, but.... ...that doesn't change the limitation, does it? Visualizers are essentially making a bunch of assumptions about something rather than grasping the core concept and keeping everything else open to the endless possibilities. When I learned about a year ago that most people don't 'conceptualize' things, it provided an explanation for something I've always felt; relative to myself, most people struggle to grasp core ideas and concepts. The ability to see a picture appears to handicap the ability to see the 'bigger' picture.

This was interesting. I thought of a red ball, I'm pretty sure that's because the last ball that I saw was a little red ball. It was on a green ping pong table. Not sure why. And when asked to imagine someone pushing the ball and thinking about what happens, my first thought was to think about how people will put their hand on the ball and pull it toward them before pushing it away. I never saw any of this. It was like remembering a dream where somethings remain clearly intact in my thoughts and other things are hidden in the darkness. When asked the questions, more things began to come to mind, such as the setting was our basement and I think it was my husband who was pushing the ball.

To me, all I know is there's a table, a ball on it and the ball gets pushed by someone. As for the description of any of these three, they are irrelevant unless I have to invent a fact about them to answer a question. I don't get how someone would automatically fill in these details.

My mind just draws a full blank on these types of things, doesn't even tell me colours, table size, ball size, anything. Sort of funny though, because I'm very used to it, never really understood that people usually could picture things.

I knew the softball size ball was red, before being asked. The person doesn't exist even now, and the table is a flat surface with no legs .

I imagined the ball being rolled and figured it would probably roll off the table. I had a vague concept of table size but didn't see anything. If someone were to ask me to imagine the scene, I suppose I would have a vague concept of a vague person at the table.

I'm a conceptualiser. It never occurs to me that anyone would think of irrelevant detail. It's bare bones thinking. I can add detail if asked, but would have to be asked.

Like Pamela, I had to laugh at the questions. Surprisingly, I did "imagine" some details before reading the questions. I had a vague thought about billiard balls and a tiny person pushing the ball. I don't visualize but I do often think in terms of spatial relationships and sequences of events.

The brain processes abstractions and when we need to make those abstractions concrete if we want to share them with others. Some think of those abstractions in visual and some in auditory thoughts. And then there are aphants like me, who must speak their abstractions.

I am a conceptualizer so the set of questions regarding the size of the ball, the gender of the person pushing it, etc. all made me laugh. Attempting to explain the way my brain processes these kinds of exercises has always been met with skepticism but knowing that there are others out there with similar imagination styles has been quite empowering.

I like the Question: Are You a Visualizer or Conceptualizer? I have always grasp concepts easily, (because I am not distracted by unneeded details?). My boss is able to visualize future things in 3D detail as if they are already in existence. So I am not only learning about myself, I am learning how he is different.

I have Aphantasia and thank you for sharing this! It wonderfully shows the difference between “knowing” and “seeing”. Again, thanks.