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Aphantasia and involuntary imagery
Raquel Krempel1, Merlin Monzel2
1Center for Logic, Epistemology and History of Science, State University of Campinas, R. Sérgio Buarque de Holanda, 251 - Cidade Universitária, Campinas, SP 13083-859, Brazil; Center for Philosophy of Science, University of Pittsburgh, 4200 Fifth Ave, Pittsburgh, PA 15260, USA.
Consciousness and Cognition
|April 2, 2024
Summary
Aphantasia may affect more than just voluntary mental imagery. This study suggests that involuntary imagery, including dreams and afterimages, is also impaired in individuals with aphantasia.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Cognitive Psychology
Background:
- Aphantasia is commonly defined by an inability to form voluntary mental images.
- This definition is challenged by reports of visual dreams in individuals with aphantasia.
- Existing research often conflates voluntary and involuntary imagery.
Purpose of the Study:
- To re-evaluate the characterization of aphantasia.
- To investigate the impact of aphantasia on involuntary mental imagery, including dreams and afterimages.
- To propose a broader definition of aphantasia.
Main Methods:
- Review of existing aphantasia literature, focusing on imagery assessment.
- Analysis of studies examining involuntary imagery in aphantasia.
- Reporting results from a study on afterimage intensity in aphantasia.
Main Results:
- Evidence suggests that involuntary imagery, including dream imagery, can be affected in aphantasia.
- Critique of studies claiming preserved involuntary imagery in aphantasia.
- Afterimages were found to be less intense in aphantasics compared to controls.
Conclusions:
- The common characterization of aphantasia as solely a voluntary imagery deficit is likely incorrect.
- Involuntary imagery is not unitary; different types should be assessed individually.
- A broader definition of aphantasia as a general deficit in mental imagery formation is more appropriate.
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