Only minimal differences between individuals with congenital aphantasia and those with typical imagery on neuropsychological tasks that involve imagery

DOI: 10.1016/j.cortex.2021.12.010

Pounder, Z., Jacob, J., Evans, S., Loveday, C., Eardley, A. F., & Silvanto, J. (2022). Only minimal differences between individuals with congenital aphantasia and those with typical imagery on neuropsychological tasks that involve imagery. Cortex, 148, 180–192. doi:10.1016/j.cortex.2021.12.010

Abstract

This research focuses on a condition called aphantasia, where individuals report a lack of voluntary visual imagery. The study aimed to find out if individuals with aphantasia show deficits in tasks related to visual imagery, such as Spatial Span, One Touch Stocking of Cambridge, Pattern Recognition Memory, Verbal Recognition Memory and Mental Rotation. Twenty individuals with aphantasia were matched with 20 individuals with typical imagery in terms of age and IQ. The results showed that individuals with aphantasia performed differently in the One Touch Stocking of Cambridge and Mental Rotation tasks, but only in response time, not accuracy. The study suggests that the cognitive profile of individuals without imagery does not differ greatly from those with typical imagery when viewed as a group. The severity of aphantasia may be a factor to consider when investigating differences in imagery experience. The study raises questions about whether aphantasia represents a difference in cognitive function or conscious experience.

Authors

Zoë Pounder7
Jane Jacob1
Samuel Evans2
Catherine Loveday2
Alison F. Eardley3
Juha Silvanto15

What This Study Is About

Researchers wanted to know if aphantasia—the inability to see images in the "mind's eye"—is linked to broader difficulties with memory or problem-solving. They tested whether people without mental imagery perform differently on tasks involving memory for words, patterns, and the mental rotation of objects.

How They Studied It

The study compared 20 people with aphantasia to 20 "typical imagers" who can visualize. Participants completed a series of computerized tests from a standard neuropsychological battery. These included:

Memory tests: Remembering lists of words and recognizing visual patterns.

Spatial tests: Remembering the location of boxes on a screen and solving puzzles that required planning several moves ahead.

Mental rotation: Determining if two complex shapes were the same, even if they were turned at different angles.

What They Found

People with aphantasia performed just as accurately as typical imagers on almost every test. They were just as good at remembering words, recognizing patterns, and solving spatial puzzles. However, a key difference appeared in the speed of their thinking: when the spatial puzzles became very difficult and required holding many pieces of information at once, the aphantasic group took significantly longer to plan their moves. Similarly, those with the most complete lack of imagery were slower at mentally rotating objects, even though they eventually got the answers right.

What This Might Mean

The results suggest that aphantasia is not a general "memory deficit." Instead, it suggests that people with aphantasia use different internal strategies to solve visual problems. While typical imagers might "see" a solution, people with aphantasia likely rely on non-visual spatial strategies—similar to how someone might navigate a dark room by remembering where furniture is located without actually seeing it. This "alternative route" works well for most tasks but may be slower when a problem becomes highly complex.

One Interesting Detail

The researchers found that the performance of people with aphantasia on mental rotation tasks closely mirrors that of people who have been blind from birth. Both groups can solve these spatial problems accurately, but they both tend to take more time to process the information than sighted people who use visual imagery.

Only minimal differences between individuals with congenital aphantasia and those with typical imagery on neuropsychological tasks that involve imagery

Abstract

Authors

Only minimal differences between individuals with congenital aphantasia and those with typical imagery on neuropsychological tasks that involve imagery

Abstract

Authors

Only minimal differences between individuals with congenital aphantasia and those with typical imagery on neuropsychological tasks that involve imagery

Abstract

Authors

What This Study Is About

How They Studied It

What They Found

What This Might Mean

One Interesting Detail

Only minimal differences between individuals with congenital aphantasia and those with typical imagery on neuropsychological tasks that involve imagery

Abstract

Authors

What This Study Is About

How They Studied It

What They Found

What This Might Mean

One Interesting Detail

What This Study Is About

How They Studied It

What They Found

What This Might Mean

One Interesting Detail

What This Study Is About

How They Studied It

What They Found

What This Might Mean

One Interesting Detail

Joel Pearson

Merlin Monzel

Adam Zeman

Rebecca Keogh

Martin Reuter

Juha Silvanto

Paolo Bartolomeo

Carla Dance

Jianghao Liu

Fraser Milton

Joel Pearson

Merlin Monzel

Adam Zeman

Rebecca Keogh

Martin Reuter

Juha Silvanto

Paolo Bartolomeo

Carla Dance

Jianghao Liu

Fraser Milton