AphantasiaResearch
Explore a comprehensive collection of academic papers, research studies, and scientific publications about aphantasia, imagery, and cognitive neuroscience.
Individual variability in mental imagery vividness does not predict perceptual interference with imagery: A replication study of Cui et al. (2007).
This study replicates Cui et al. (2007) with larger samples across the imagery spectrum, finding no significant relationship between imagery vividness and perceptual interference. The research challenges prior claims about vivid imagery enhancing visual perception.
Azañón, E., Pounder, Z., Figueroa, A., & Reeder, R. R. (2025). Individual variability in mental imagery vividness does not predict perceptual interference with imagery: a replication study of cui et al. (2007).. Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, 154(7), 2043–2057. doi:10.1037/xge0001756
The Impact of Aphantasia on Mental Healthcare Experiences
People with aphantasia experience similar mental health distress to typical imagers but with different symptom profiles and treatment responses. Imagery-based therapies like CBT may be ineffective for aphants, requiring personalized mental healthcare approaches.
Mawtus, B., Renwick, F., Thomas, B. R., & Reeder, R. R. (2024). The impact of aphantasia on mental healthcare experiences. Collabra: Psychology, 10(1). doi:10.1525/collabra.127416
Non-visual spatial strategies are effective for maintaining precise information in visual working memory
People with aphantasia can maintain precise spatial information in working memory using non-visual strategies like spatial and sensorimotor approaches. This finding shows that visual mental imagery is not necessary for effective visual working memory performance.
Reeder, R. R., Pounder, Z., Figueroa, A., Jüllig, A., & Azañón, E. (2024). Non-visual spatial strategies are effective for maintaining precise information in visual working memory. Cognition, 251, 105907. doi:10.1016/j.cognition.2024.105907
The Ganzflicker experience: High probability of seeing vivid and complex pseudo-hallucinations with imagery but not aphantasia
Aphants report fewer pseudo-hallucinations in visual flicker studies than imagers, possibly due to enhanced spatial representation abilities rather than visual deficits. Future lab studies with eye tracking will test whether this reflects actual differences in perception or reporting bias.
Königsmark, V. T., Bergmann, J., & Reeder, R. R. (2021). The ganzflicker experience: high probability of seeing vivid and complex pseudo-hallucinations with imagery but not aphantasia. Cortex, 141, 522–534. doi:10.1016/j.cortex.2021.05.007
Anomalous visual experience is linked to perceptual uncertainty and visual imagery vividness
This study finds that visual imagery vividness predicts pareidolia proneness (seeing faces in noise) in healthy people. The result suggests vivid imagery may be a predisposition toward anomalous perception rather than a symptom of disorder.
Salge, J. H., Pollmann, S., & Reeder, R. R. (2021). Anomalous visual experience is linked to perceptual uncertainty and visual imagery vividness. Psychological Research, 85(5), 1848–1865. doi:10.1007/s00426-020-01364-7
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