Research library

Neurodiversity in mental simulation: conceptual but not visual imagery priming modulates perception across the imagery vividness spectrum

Welker and colleagues · Scientific Reports

Eighty-nine young adults, mostly psychology students, watched two patterns moving in opposite directions, one shown to each eye, while eye tracking revealed which one they were seeing. Beforehand they either pictured the moving pattern or silently repeated its direction. Picturing it tilted what people then saw only in those with typical or vivid imagery, and more so the more vivid their imagery, while repeating the direction worked across the range, including in people with low imagery, though only modestly for them. Only 4 participants had aphantasia, which the authors propose renaming an abstract simulation style.

Visual imagery vividness declines across the lifespan

Gulyás and colleagues · Cortex

Visual imagery vividness declines significantly from adolescence to middle age, with aphantasia prevalence increasing over time. This suggests that mental imagery strength is not a fixed trait but is influenced by age-related developmental factors.

Exploring the relation between visual mental imagery and affect in the daily life of previously depressed and never depressed individuals