Introduction to the special issue on aphantasia

DOI: 10.3917/anpsy1.261.0007

Cavalli, E., & Plancher, G. (2026). Introduction to the special issue on aphantasia. L’Année psychologique, Vol. 126(1), 7–8. doi:10.3917/anpsy1.261.0007

Abstract

Mental imagery has long been recognized as a core component of human cognition. Since the dawn of scientific psychology, it has been associated with memory, imagination, problem-solving, and emotion. The vividness and functional significance of imagery were debated by pioneers like Galton and Binet and the topic has continued to attract attention ever since. In the 1980s, a central controversy in cognitive psychology concerned the nature of the internal representations underlying mental imagery. Two opposing views emerged: one defended a symbolic format – abstract, amodal, language-like propositions (Pylyshyn, 1981) – while the other advocated a pictorial format, in which imagery relies on perceptual-like representations that depict rather than describe experience (Kosslyn, Behrmann, & Jeannerod, 1995). The advent of neuroimaging in the 1990s helped clarify this debate by showing that brain regions involved in mental imagery partially overlap with those recruited during perception (Kosslyn, Thompson, & Ganis, 2006). These findings suggest that mental images are encoded in an analog fashion, closely resembling percepts. However more recently, scientific interest in imagery has been revived by the study of aphantasia, a condition characterized by the absence of voluntary mental imagery. First described by Zeman and colleagues (2015), aphantasia challenges the assumption that mental imagery is a universal feature of human cognition and offers a unique opportunity to reassess its role in both cognitive and emotional life…

Authors

Eddy Cavalli3
Gaën Plancher5

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Introduction to the special issue on aphantasia

DOI: 10.3917/anpsy1.261.0007

Cavalli, E., & Plancher, G. (2026). Introduction to the special issue on aphantasia. L’Année psychologique, Vol. 126(1), 7–8. doi:10.3917/anpsy1.261.0007

Abstract

Authors

Eddy Cavalli3
Gaën Plancher5

Ask AI About This Paper

Introduction to the special issue on aphantasia

DOI: 10.3917/anpsy1.261.0007

Cavalli, E., & Plancher, G. (2026). Introduction to the special issue on aphantasia. L’Année psychologique, Vol. 126(1), 7–8. doi:10.3917/anpsy1.261.0007

Abstract

Authors

Eddy Cavalli3
Gaën Plancher5

What This Study Is About

This paper introduces a special collection of cutting-edge research exploring aphantasia—the inability to create voluntary mental imagery (the ability to "see" or picture things in your mind). The researchers aim to understand how the absence of a "mind's eye" affects a person’s memory, their sense of identity, and their connection to other conditions like autism.

How They Studied It

Because this is an introduction to a "special issue," it summarizes several different studies that used various methods:

Case Studies: Researchers did a deep-dive neuropsychological investigation into a single individual born with aphantasia to see exactly which tasks they could and couldn't do.

Memory Testing: Participants took tests on episodic memory (remembering specific past events) and pictorial memory to see if they were less accurate than "controls" (people with typical imagery).

Surveys and Profiles: Researchers surveyed groups to see how aphantasia impacts their "autobiographical memory"—how they use their past to define who they are today.

Neurodiversity Research: One study specifically looked at the overlap between aphantasia and autism.

What They Found

The researchers discovered that aphantasia is not a "one-size-fits-all" condition; it is multifaceted. Key discoveries include:

Memory Workarounds: Having aphantasia doesn't automatically mean you have a bad memory. While aphantasics might struggle to "reconstruct" a scene visually, they can be just as accurate as anyone else by using facts and descriptions.

Identity vs. Socializing: People with aphantasia report using their memories less to build their personal identity or "directive" life path, but their ability to remember social information seems completely unaffected.

Brain Overlap: Science shows that the parts of the brain we use to see the world are the same parts used to imagine it, which explains why the absence of imagery is so linked to our senses.

What This Might Mean

This research suggests that aphantasia is a perfect example of "neurodiversity"—the idea that human brains are simply wired differently. It proves that there are multiple ways to store a memory; if you can't save it as a "photo," your brain saves it as a "data file."

However, the authors note that we still have challenges. We need better, objective ways to measure aphantasia rather than just relying on what people report. Since some of these were case studies of just one person, we can't assume every aphantasic brain works exactly the same way.

One Interesting Detail

One study found that aphantasics have a "selective impairment." They might struggle to draw a room from memory, but if they are asked to describe the room using logic and facts (propositional memory), they perform perfectly. It’s like their brain’s "graphics card" is unplugged, but the "processor" is running at full speed!

This summary was generated by AI and may contain errors. Always refer to the original paper for accuracy.

What This Study Is About

How They Studied It

Because this is an introduction to a "special issue," it summarizes several different studies that used various methods:

Case Studies: Researchers did a deep-dive neuropsychological investigation into a single individual born with aphantasia to see exactly which tasks they could and couldn't do.

Memory Testing: Participants took tests on episodic memory (remembering specific past events) and pictorial memory to see if they were less accurate than "controls" (people with typical imagery).

Surveys and Profiles: Researchers surveyed groups to see how aphantasia impacts their "autobiographical memory"—how they use their past to define who they are today.

Neurodiversity Research: One study specifically looked at the overlap between aphantasia and autism.

What They Found

The researchers discovered that aphantasia is not a "one-size-fits-all" condition; it is multifaceted. Key discoveries include:

Memory Workarounds: Having aphantasia doesn't automatically mean you have a bad memory. While aphantasics might struggle to "reconstruct" a scene visually, they can be just as accurate as anyone else by using facts and descriptions.

Identity vs. Socializing: People with aphantasia report using their memories less to build their personal identity or "directive" life path, but their ability to remember social information seems completely unaffected.

Brain Overlap: Science shows that the parts of the brain we use to see the world are the same parts used to imagine it, which explains why the absence of imagery is so linked to our senses.

What This Might Mean

One Interesting Detail

This summary was generated by AI and may contain errors. Always refer to the original paper for accuracy.

Introduction to the special issue on aphantasia

Abstract

Authors

Introduction to the special issue on aphantasia

Abstract

Authors

Introduction to the special issue on aphantasia

Abstract

Authors

Introduction to the special issue on aphantasia

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

Joel Pearson

Merlin Monzel

Adam Zeman

Rebecca Keogh

Martin Reuter

Juha Silvanto

Carla Dance

Paolo Bartolomeo

Jianghao Liu

Fraser Milton