Phantasia
Aristotle coined phantasia in On the Soul to describe a capacity between perception and thought, a kind of sixth sense. It's often translated as imagination.
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Exploring the experiences of autistic and non-autistic aphantasics: A qualitative study
Autistic aphantasics are more likely to be verbal thinkers, while non-autistic aphantasics report more intact multisensory imagery. This highlights how neurodivergence shapes the diverse cognitive and emotional lived experiences of aphantasia.
Zhong, S., Jones, K., Knight, K. F., Milton, F., Russell, G., Zeman, A., & Happé, F. (2026). Exploring the experiences of autistic and non-autistic aphantasics: a qualitative study. Neuropsychologia, 231, 109540. doi:10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2026.109540
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What If Your Mind's Eye Can't See?
Elementary students reported higher rates of aphantasia and hyperphantasia than adults, with a single-question test showing high validity. This highlights the need for teachers to provide alternative learning strategies for non-visualizers.
Stewart, P., & Brick Taft, M. (2026). What if your mind's eye can't see?. Journal of the International Society for Teacher Education, 30(1), 164–175. doi:10.26522/jiste.v30i1.5311
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‘That’s Not How I Pictured It’ – Why Book‑to‑Film Adaptations So Often Disappoint
Film adaptations and illustrations can clash with our personal mental images. However, for those with aphantasia, who cannot mentally visualize, these on-screen adaptations offer a uniquely liberating way to experience stories.
recentlyby Julia Thomas
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Age differences in visual and multisensory imagery: Notes on distributions of aphantasia and hyperphantasia in individuals aged 20s–70s
Older adults reported more vivid visual and multisensory imagery, while aphantasia was more prevalent in younger groups. This suggests that age should be considered when identifying aphantasia and setting diagnostic thresholds.
Takahashi, J., Omura, K., & Sugimura, S. (2026). Age differences in visual and multisensory imagery: notes on distributions of aphantasia and hyperphantasia in individuals aged 20s–70s. Neuropsychologia, 226, 109433. doi:10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2026.109433
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Reimagining the vividness of visual imagery questionnaire as a single item screener for aphantasia
VVIQ items showed high redundancy for identifying aphantasia, with inter-item correlations ranging from .79 to .90. A single screening question about visualizing a familiar place achieved high specificity (98.8%) and sensitivity (97.5%) against the strictest definition of core aphantasia (VVIQ = 16), suggesting the full 16-item questionnaire is unnecessary for screening purposes.
Monzel, M., Pickering, J. W., Condon, D. M., Beran, M. J., & Ebeyer, T. (2026). Reimagining the vividness of visual imagery questionnaire as a single item screener for aphantasia. Consciousness and Cognition, 142, 104061. doi:10.1016/j.concog.2026.104061
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Mental image vividness and aphantasia judgements are fundamentally compromised by overlooked definition problems
Researchers discovered that aphantasia and vividness judgements are compromised by poorly defined references for typical imagery. This indicates that current measures like the VVIQ may be invalid and misleading.
Sulfaro, A. A. (2026). Mental image vividness and aphantasia judgements are fundamentally compromised by overlooked definition problems. Psychonomic Bulletin & Review, 33(5). doi:10.3758/s13423-026-02928-1
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Anauralia and aphantasia: Prevalence and distinct associations with personality, well-being and self-regulation in a large, representative sample.
Researchers found that anauralia and aphantasia share a 0.8% prevalence but have distinct psychological profiles. This suggests that the absence of sensory imagery is modality-specific rather than a single, unified condition.
Lambert, A. J., Schelp, Z. M., Quigley-Tump, G., Tan, V., Purdy, S., & Sibley, C. (2026). Anauralia and aphantasia: prevalence and distinct associations with personality, well-being and self-regulation in a large, representative sample.. Neuropsychologia, 109527. doi:10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2026.109527
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The role of visual imagery and verbal coding in short-term memory conjunctive binding: evidence from aphantasia
Aphantasics performed as well as controls on feature-binding tasks even when verbal labeling was difficult. This suggests that mental imagery is not necessary for conjunctive binding, which likely relies on automatic mechanisms.
Delhaye, E., Fritz, P., Martial, C., & Bastin, C. (2026). The role of visual imagery and verbal coding in short-term memory conjunctive binding: evidence from aphantasia. Consciousness and Cognition, 141, 104036. doi:10.1016/j.concog.2026.104036
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Multimodal Mental Imagery Profiles and the Prevalence of Aphantasia and Hyperphantasia in the General Population
Aphantasia is linked to higher rates of neurodevelopmental, neurological, and psychiatric disorders compared to typical imagery. This highlights the need for multisensory evaluations and tailored interventions for neurodiverse profiles.
New, B., Barra, J., Chauvin, A., Huson, N., & Lœvenbruck, H. (2026). Multimodal mental imagery profiles and the prevalence of aphantasia and hyperphantasia in the general population. Cortex. doi:10.1016/j.cortex.2026.04.019
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An Exploratory Study of Undergraduate Students' Perceptions of Visualization and Visualization Ability in Biochemistry
Biochemistry students with aphantasia often hold fixed mindset beliefs, while instructors prioritize internal mental imagery. This highlights the need for teaching methods that accommodate diverse cognitive profiles.
McVay, A., & Mooring, S. (2026). An exploratory study of undergraduate students' perceptions of visualization and visualization ability in biochemistry. Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Education. doi:10.1002/bmb.70052
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State but not trait measures of vividness relate to memory accuracy
Trial-by-trial mental imagery vividness significantly predicts memory accuracy for both visual and spatial changes across age groups. This suggests that while imagery influences episodic memory, it is not the sole mechanism driving performance.
Duckett, W., & Simons, J. S. (2026). State but not trait measures of vividness relate to memory accuracy. Neuropsychologia, 224, 109399. doi:10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2026.109399
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Exporting the Invisible: How an Aphantasic Artist Creates Animated Musical Scores
When viewers encounter Stephen Malinowski's Music Animation Machine —vibrant, cascading visual scores that dance in perfect synchronization with classical music—many assume the creator must have an exceptionally vivid visual imagination. The reality is precisely the opposite: Malinowski has aphantasia.
recentlyby Aphantasia Network
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Vividness of mental imagery reflects a broad range of internally generated visual experiences
Vividness ratings robustly capture a wide range of subjective experiences, from internal mental depictions to externally projected imagery. This suggests aphantasia should be redefined to distinguish between faint imagery and a total lack of pictorial representation.
Schwarzkopf, D. S., Yu, X. A., Altan, E., Bouyer, L. N., Saurels, B. W., Pellicano, E., & Arnold, D. H. (2026). Vividness of mental imagery reflects a broad range of internally generated visual experiences. Royal Society Open Science, 13(3). doi:10.1098/rsos.251887
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Exploring the association between mental imagery, sensory sensitivity, and autistic traits in autistic and non-autistic adults
Researchers found no meaningful association between mental imagery vividness and sensory sensitivity, despite both correlating with autistic traits. This suggests that imagery and sensory processing may not share a common neural mechanism.
Taylor, R., Sumner, P., Singh, K. D., & Jones, C. R. G. (2026). Exploring the association between mental imagery, sensory sensitivity, and autistic traits in autistic and non-autistic adults. Scientific Reports. doi:10.1038/s41598-026-38574-9
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The Nexus of Hoarding and Mental Imagery Extremes: Exploring Hoarding Tendencies in Aphantasia and Hyperphantasia
Aphantasics showed no increased hoarding symptoms, while hyperphantasics reported significantly lower symptoms than typical visualizers. This suggests that vivid mental imagery may actually protect against the development of hoarding behaviors.
Sabel, I., Kay, L., Pearson, J., & Grisham, J. (2026). The nexus of hoarding and mental imagery extremes: exploring hoarding tendencies in aphantasia and hyperphantasia. Psychological Reports. doi:10.1177/00332941261425581
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Multimodal mental comparisons in those with and without aphantasia
People with aphantasia were more accurate but slower than controls on multimodal mental comparison tasks. This suggests that sensory cognition can be successfully achieved through propositional rather than imagistic strategies.
Suggate, S. P., Milton, F., & Tree, J. (2026). Multimodal mental comparisons in those with and without aphantasia. Neuropsychologia, 222, 109373. doi:10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2026.109373
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AI-generated inspiration for the design process: effects across the vividness of visual imagery spectrum
AI-generated inspiration attenuated the link between visual imagery vividness and user experience during design tasks. This suggests external visual aids may help bridge the gap for those with low imagery when performing creative work.
Lebron Flores, M. O., & Moacdieh, N. M. (2026). Ai-generated inspiration for the design process: effects across the vividness of visual imagery spectrum. International Journal of Design Creativity and Innovation, 1–19. doi:10.1080/21650349.2026.2629810