When asked to close their eyes and imagine a sunset, most people can bring to mind the image of the sun setting over the horizon. Some people may perceive more vivid details, such as vibrant colors, while others may produce a mental image that is blurry or lacking details. But recent research has found that some people do not experience mental imagery at all.
This lack of mental imagery is called aphantasia, People with aphasia are often surprised when they learn that others see mental images in their mind. Many people with aphasia have said that they assumed that other people were Figuratively speaking when he described seeing something in his “mind’s eye”.
This is because our internal mental processes are not visible to others, so it is easy to assume that everyone’s mind works the same way. it is estimated that roughly 4% of people have stroke,
People with aphantasia report a lack of visual imagery, and 97% also report deficits in at least one other form of imagerySuch as being unable to imagine certain sounds or tastes.
Mental imagery is involved in many other everyday cognitive processes. For example, visual and spatial imagery may play an important role in autobiographical memory. One study found that people with a tendency to generate vivid high-resolution mental images of objects and scenes can recall personal memories more quickly and in greater detail,
People with aphasia are able to remember autobiographical facts, but they report when they recall life events fewer details and less emotional feelDespite describing the events as important or personally relevant.
Mental imagination is also experienced while dreaming. interesting, 60 percent of people with aphasia report visual imagery in their dreams., although the quality of their experience differs from that of people with normal imagery ability. When dreaming, people with aphantasia report decreased experience in all senses, less overall awareness and a decreased sense of control.
The fact that people with hallucinations have some preserved mental imagery while dreaming suggests that there may be a reduction in paresis. voluntary mental imagery – The ability to consciously bring images to mind rather than involuntary mental imagery.
imagination and reading
Many people also use mental imagery when they read. When we read, we create mental models to help us understand words and sentences, and research shows that we create these models using mental imagery.
For example, after reading a sentence like “The ranger saw the eagle in the sky,” People are quicker to recognize a picture of an eagle with its wings outstretched than a picture of a sitting eagle, This is because they imagine or simulate the situation described in the sentence, and this can help them to quickly recognize a picture that matches the imagined situation.
Aphantasia affects whether people form mental models when they read. In one study it was found When reading descriptions of scary scenarios, people with aphasia showed fewer emotional or physical responsessuggesting that their understanding was less influenced by imagination or simulated sensory experience.
These simulations can also occur subconsciously when we read a word and can Help us access word meanings more quickly, For example, when reading words related to sensory experiences such as sight, action, and smell, Brain areas responsible for these senses are also activated., However, there is currently no research on whether this is also true for people with aphasia, so we do not know whether they subconsciously simulate sensory or motor information when reading a word.
different ways
People with aphasia don’t always view their lack of mental imagery as a negative thing. Some also attribute a lack of imagination to success in other fields such as science and math.,
People with aphantasia also pursue creative pursuits in fields such as the visual arts or writing, so mental imagery is not the same as imagination. In fact, The University of Glasgow organizes an art exhibition featuring the work of artists with aphantasia and those with hyperfantasia (extremely vivid mental imagery).,
The discovery of conditions such as apanesthesia tells us that there can be different “modes” of cognition. For some people, thinking may involve consciously and unconsciously simulating past sensory experiences. For other people, and for those who have a stroke, thinking may involve accessing facts.
Aphantasia shows us that there is diversity in human cognition – despite our perceptions, our brains do not work in the same way. Research into aphasia is just beginning, but it is a promising opportunity to better understand the inner workings of the human mind.
emiko muraki is a PhD Candidate, Brain and Cognitive Sciences, University of Calgary And penny pexmanProfessor of Psychology, University of Calgary,
This article is republished from Conversation Under Creative Commons Licence. read the original article,
