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Topic: Phantasia

Aristotle coins the term phantasia in De Amina (On the Soul), Part III, to describe a distinct capacity between perception and thought — a sort of ‘sixth sense.’ Phantasia is commonly translated to imagination and is often explained in the context of visualizing and dreaming.

  • 10 Articles
  • 6 Discussions
  • 4 Videos
  • 9 Research
Ekphrasis
Stories
Ekphrasis: The Ancient Art of Evoking Vivid Mental Images
Did the ancient Greeks know some people can’t create mental images? The forgotten history of ekphrasis challenges our assumptions about imagination and offers surprising insights into our image-saturated world.
Jennifer McDougall
on August 1, 2024
aphantasia and hyperphantasia
Science
Aphantasia and Hyperphantasia: What We Know After a Decade of Research
Since 2015, "aphantasia" has reshaped our understanding of imagination, revealing that not everyone visualizes mentally. This discovery, along with "hyperphantasia," highlights the diverse nature of human imagination.
Tom Ebeyer
on May 28, 2024
can't visualize, afterimage
Strategies
Can’t Visualize An Apple? Try This Apple Illusion to Experience What Others See
This optical afterimage experiment allows people who can't visualize to temporarily 'see' an image that isn't there—using visual perception to demonstrate what others experience through imagination.
Aphantasia Network
on October 30, 2023
ball on a table, ball on the table, conceptualizer, visualizer
Strategies
Are You a Visualizer or Conceptualizer? The Ball on a Table Test
The Ball on a Table experiment is a simple visualization test that reveals whether you think in pictures (visualizer) or concepts (conceptualizer). This revealing experiment, originally credited to u/Caaaarrrl, takes less than a minute but provides profound insights into how your mind processes information.
Aphantasia Network
on October 8, 2023
visualiser's fallacy
Science
The Visualizer’s Fallacy
Understanding the hidden assumptions that lead to biases against aphantasics’ cognitive abilities.
Christian Scholz
on September 25, 2023
visualizing the invisible
Strategies
Visualizing the Invisible
What do typical visualizers experience? How does my imaginative experience compare? Designer Melanie Scheer introduces a new way to visualize the visual imagination spectrum.
Melanie Scheer
on June 15, 2022
Science
Shocking Insights: What Electrical Stimulation Tells Us About How We Visualize
Why might your mind's eye be blind while your friend can picture crystal-clear images? Shocking insights into the known neurodifferences in imagery vividness.
Mike Perrotta
on February 10, 2021
history of aphantasia
Science
History of Aphantasia
Aphantasia, the inability to voluntarily form mental images, was first described by Francis Galton in 1880 but largely remained unstudied until 2015, when Professor Adam Zeman of the University of Exeter coined the term and began his research, bringing renewed scientific and public attention to this fascinating aspect of human cognition. The concept traces back to Aristotle's "phantasia" from 340 BC, establishing a rich historical foundation for understanding individual differences in mental imagery.
Tom Ebeyer and Jennifer McDougall
on March 1, 2020
Dating an Aphantasic
Stories
3 Things I Learned Dating an Aphantasic
What do you mean you can't picture a horse? For visualizers, it's hard to imagine what it's like not to visualize.
Aphantasia Network
on March 11, 2019
mind's eye, breakfast study
Science
Francis Galton’s Breakfast Study: The Discovery of Non-Imagers (Aphantasia)
When it comes to visualizing things in the mind's eye, our experience varies widely. Francis Galton's groundbreaking Breakfast Study revealed this phenomenon over 140 years ago, fundamentally changing how we understand visual imagery and its assessment.
Aphantasia Network
on September 1, 2018
Jill Geller
June 7, 2023
What is normal imagination??
I recently discovered I might have aphantasia. I had known about the condition for years before but disregarded the possibility that I might have it, because...
Leanne A.
February 7, 2023
What do typical visualizers experience?
Hi, I’m new to this group. I recently discovered that I may have aphantasia, but it’s hard to tell because I don’t know what other people m...
Dianne McCarthy
May 13, 2022
Is phantasia, the ability to visualize at will, similar to experiencing hypnogogic imagery?
I can’t experience or perceive an image at will but I can access details of previous visual memories.  I can also experience and perceive hypnogogic im...
Kara Smith
February 28, 2022
When I “picture” something I’m recalling a real life image
Does anyone else find that this happens with them… Someone will say, “picture a field” so I think of the field at my Grandma’s house. Then they say, in the m...
Deniz Kaptan
September 14, 2021
What if we redefined “vivid” and “clear as real” on the spectrum?
I am gonna start this post by saying that I am probably phantasiac. That is what my results said exactly “probably phantasiac”, yes, I agree! As a “probably”...
Edward Rybicki
June 9, 2021
Use of visualisation
I have been aware for some time about this phenomenon, in a peripheral way – and then was drawn here by the very excellent article by Carl Zimmer (http...
spectrum of mental imagery
What is the True Spectrum of Mental Imagery? Extended Interview with Dr. Sam Schwarzkopf
What is the true spectrum of mental imagery? Neuroscientist Sam Schwarzkopf from the University of Auckland explores the depths of mental imagery with host Tom Ebeyer of the Aphantasia Network.
February 28, 2024
Q&A with Christian Scholz
Q&A With Christian Scholz [Member Exclusive]
Christian Scholz answers the community’s questions about 'Meta-Imagination and The Language Game of Visualising' in this live Q&A. Hosted by Tom Ebeyer.
June 28, 2023
Members Only
meta-imagination, meta-imagination in aphantasia
Meta-Imagination in Aphantasia and the Language Game of Visualising with Researcher Chris Scholoz
Discover how individuals with aphantasia engage in imaginative exercises using language and how this experience differs from visualizers. Christian Scholz presents a new theoretical concept called meta-imagination.
June 28, 2023
Visual imagination spectrum
The Spectrum of Visual Imagination and its Relevance to Design
What do typical visualizers experience? How do hyperphantasics experience visual imagery? Melanie Scheer presents a new way to depict the visual imagination spectrum.
May 25, 2022

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