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Impoverished recall of sensory details along infrequently travelled routes in aphantasia

DOI: 10.1080/09658211.2025.2507948
Li, A., Arrieta, M., Levine, B., & Rosenbaum, R. S. (2025). Impoverished recall of sensory details along infrequently travelled routes in aphantasia. Memory, 1–13. doi:10.1080/09658211.2025.2507948

Abstract

Visual imagery is important for recalling environmental details, but individuals with aphantasia are reported to show intact spatial memory. We investigated spatial memories of previously experienced environments in individuals with and without aphantasia using self-report and route description tasks. Aphantasic participants (<i>n</i> = 113) and controls (<i>n</i> = 110) completed questionnaires on spatial navigation, memory, anxiety, and mood. A subgroup (aphantasic: <i>n</i> = 65, control: <i>n</i> = 72) completed a route description task assessing memory for details along frequently and infrequently travelled routes. Aphantasic participants did not differ significantly from controls on self-reported navigation ability or strategies. Both groups recalled similar numbers of spatial, entity, and sensory details when describing frequently travelled routes. However, aphantasic participants recalled fewer sensory details for infrequently travelled routes. This finding was corroborated by nominally lower ratings on self-reported memory for object locations and new routes. Findings suggest that spatial memory, including sensory content, remains intact in aphantasia for frequent routes. Impoverished sensory details for infrequent routes indicates that individuals with aphantasia may rely on compensatory strategies, like semanticization, for frequently experienced environments. This suggests that spatial memory for real-world environments involve dissociable processes, some of which are independent of imagery.

Authors

  • Adrienne Li1
  • Maria Arrieta1
  • Brian Levine6
  • R. Shayna Rosenbaum1

What This Study Is About

Researchers wanted to know if having aphantasia—the inability to create mental imagery (pictures in your mind)—makes it harder to remember and describe routes you’ve traveled. They specifically looked at whether it’s harder to remember a path you walk every day versus one you’ve only seen once or twice.

How They Studied It

The team studied 223 people: 113 with aphantasia and 110 "controls" (people who can see mental images). Participants filled out surveys about their navigation skills and then did a "Route Description Task." They had to write down every detail they could remember about two different paths:
1. A Frequent Route: Somewhere they walk at least once a week (like the way to school).
2. An Infrequent Route: Somewhere they’ve only been once or twice in the last three years.

What They Found

The results were a bit of a "good news, bad news" situation:
  • The Everyday Path: For routes they knew by heart, people with aphantasia were just as good as everyone else at describing the layout and the objects they passed.
  • The Rare Path: When describing a path they rarely used, people with aphantasia recalled significantly fewer sensory details (like the specific color of a house or the texture of a fence) compared to the control group.
  • Confidence: Interestingly, people with aphantasia rated their own "sketching" ability and memory vividness lower, even when their actual descriptions of frequent routes were just as good as anyone else's!

What This Might Mean

This suggests that our brains have two ways of "saving" a map. For places we visit all the time, our brains might turn the visual map into a list of facts (like a GPS script). But for new or rare places, we might rely more on our "mind's eye" to "re-watch" the walk to remember details. Without that mental video, those tiny sensory details get lost.
*Note: This was an online study where people wrote their own descriptions, so researchers couldn't double-check if every detail was 100% accurate in the real world.*

One Interesting Detail

Despite describing fewer details on rare routes, people with aphantasia reported the same levels of "navigation anxiety" as everyone else. They don't necessarily feel more lost; they just remember the world in a more "matter-of-fact" way!
This summary was generated by AI and may contain errors. Always refer to the original paper for accuracy.