I was just wondering how "clear" (visible, if you will) mental images you are able to produce?

For me, I can hardly make anything except basic shapes and outlines most of the time..

I talked to a friend about this and he was actually a little shocked. He said he was able to visualize his thoughts as if he was in fact looking at what he imagined

but yeah, what about you?

Hi. ikaroff.

Depends on the situation.

When I was a child, I was an eidetiker. That is, I had "photographic memory." As with most people so blessed (?), that ended when I was, say, four. I have only ever encountered one person who retained the ability into adulthood. (Just as well, contrary to what you might think, it interferes with memorization, not improves it, at least so I am told - I didn't do a lot of memorization in preschool).

Nowadays, I can muster some very detailed, realistic, and compelling mental imagery in meditation, or (rarely) immediately after. Sometimes, even without meditation, when I am working on some problem, I can visualize things related to the problem, well enough to do the job. Not as often as I would like, however.

You might also broaden your question to other senses. Many people summon sounds, smells, bodily sensations, and so forth. I suppose it depends, at least in part, on what people need to do the things they want to do.

[quote name='ikaroff' date='Sep 4 2007, 02:42 AM' post='1866297']
I was just wondering how "clear" (visible, if you will) mental images you are able to produce?

For me, I can hardly make anything except basic shapes and outlines most of the time..

I talked to a friend about this and he was actually a little shocked. He said he was able to visualize his thoughts as if he was in fact looking at what he imagined

but yeah, what about you?
[/quot


i can get really clear mental images but only in a cartoon like form, real life stuff ussaully comes out blury.

Thanks for replying



that's actually pretty interesting, why do you think that is? Because cartoon images are more simple, or do you watch alot of cartoons?

and eight bits, yeah I know that it's pretty limited only asking about images, but since I have no ability whatsoever to recall smells or tastes, this is what I went with.

well for me, if I'm trying to imgaine it, it's hard!

but if i drift of in one of my thoughts, i will began to see those images in my mind. i also don't blink, and it freaks my friends out LOL!!!

Hey ikaroff. I'm much like your friend. I can visualize whatever it is I'm thinking about as if I were looking at it.



Gene

Don't know aye, I watch less cartoons then movies and tv. So it beats me.

You know, some of you have absolutely gobsmacked me . Ikaroff, I understand why your friend was shocked too.

I don't mean it in a nasty or patronising way either, definitely not!

What I mean is that I always thought people either thought in words or pictures or both. It has never occurred to me - ever, that visualisations in people's heads would not be clear pictures, but many of you have proved me wrong for sure, in fact by the looks of it, the majority are thinking in a completely different way to how I thought everyone thought (if that makes sense )

Right, regarding my own thoughts, I can visualise in minute details as if it were in front of me - same as Gene, by the looks of it. I can see pictures in colour, or if I choose, black and white, sepia, anything. Mind you, it's not always been like that, I only used to "think" in words, up until the age of nine or ten.

This is quite a fascinating subject actually. On their own, thoughts are peculiar when you think about it.

Do the "routine visualizers" have any opinion about whether their way of thinking gives them an advantage (or disadvantage) in spatial reasoning? Faster? More reliable?

Putting aside the meditation stuff, I do visualization when working on spatial problems only as a kind of "last resort." The usual thing in finding a solution for me is to "just do it." I know some processing is going on, but have no sense of what exactly that is, just activity.

The answer, when it comes, might take any form: just writing down the answer, heading off in a certain direction, a feeling in the muscles, or indeed an image.

Visualization (for me) is for when "just doing it" doesn't work. I don't get an answer in a reasonable time, the answer I get turns out to be wrong, or I suppose sometimes I simply realize from the outset that "this is a job for visualization."

For me, it's associated with self-consciously step-by-step reasoning: slow, plodding, and effortful. It's work, while the other is work only in the sense that usually I can't do something else at the same time (although, of course, sometimes I can - I just forget about the problem, and then later, there's an answer).

Any thoughts?

Meanwhile, ikaroff, cool thread. It is a real treat to get any taste of what it would be like to visit inside someone else's head.

Thanks for the ride .

My mental images are clear as daylight, perfectly detailed and precise.

I can't visualise.

At best, when trying to imagine a red triangle, for example, I might be able to get something that's vaguely triangle shaped, if I'm lucky, but it's like watching white noise on the tv - colourless, wavy and only lasts for a split second at a time.

Is it something you learn by practise, or is it just something that people can or can't do?

good question Tiggs... I've never NOT been able to do it, actually I thought everyone could.....

Oddly for me the more tired i am the easier it is to produce a mental image, but when i,m really rested it,s darn near impossible!

Wow, this is really freaky stuff. I've never thought about any of this before! I just figured that everyone could visualise anything they wanted. Heck, I can even visualise an object and then rotate the image to see it from all sides/angles. I can also think conceptually or verbally...errr...can't everyone think both conceptually and verbally? I'm blown away (rather shocked actually) about all this, and at my age things rarely serve to shock me!

I too am quite shocked I thought it was a norm to visualise clearly, never known otherwise
I've even used visualisation to run physics problems and visualise the dynamics of systems.

You learn something new everyday and this was it for me today.

A poll would be interesting.

Cheers

I can't visualize at all. When I close my eyes and try to see an object it's impossible. I don't see a blur or a vague shape or anything. I can only experience what I'm trying to visualize.

For example, I just tried to visualize an apple. I couldn't see the apple but I could taste it. How cold and tart it was. I could feel the texture of it in my mouth. I could hear that satisfying crunch as I bit into it. I could smell the skin of the apple and feel how smooth it was and the bulk of it in my hands.

If I have no memories to call back on something I create it. I've created so many places and things in my mind using my imagination to fill in the blanks.

I think that it's impossible for me to visualize because I don't pay much attention to visuals. I prefer to really experience things with my other senses. Especially my sense of touch. As a child I got scolded all the time because I touched everything. I felt compelled.

I don't feel like not being able to visualize objects puts me at a disadvantage and I don't feel as if I'm missing out on anything.

no, because I have nothing to compare myself with since I have always been like this.

I also agree with otus Flower, it's weird that we just assume everyone thinks like we do, isn't it, and it would definitely (eight bits) be weird and interesting to spend a day in someone else's mind... freeeaaakkkkyyyy

Ikaroff, excellent thread here

a poll would be most interesting!

After a quick PM exchange with ikaroff, I've added a poll to this topic. Enjoy

My imagination is very clear when thinking of pictures, daydreaming or making scenerio's.

I voted "Limited ability" but almost all of my mental pictures animates "maybe because i want them to lol"so maybe i should had chosen "Quite clearly" But i havent seen other peoples mental pictures so it is hard to tell how clear it can be and some people might exaggerate their experiences.

I am a daydreamer but wish that my mental dreams would be even more clear. I experience some blurs and limited vision sometimes. I guess my mental picture aint perfect.

At times visualize my self many ways doing things and approaching others even places, it like an mirroring effect of one self. In few times in my yoga class as I go mediation state I put my self as images what I am doing to my plans and picture many things that I wanted to do and what it would be effect of. When some things said in typing or some one say about something I visualize it and try to see what they are talking about. Although when it gets to be not right or unpoate any means I push it out of my mind and block it. Although I do see some advantage or disadvantages from it in many ways.

the reason to fix one of my spelling errors

I can visualize very clearly and as Saint said I'm sort of stumpted that everyone doesn't. Hmmm.

When doing my "picture experiment" thread I could visualize very clearly as well.
When I meditate, my visuals are very clear.
In school (BOTH MY BROTHER AND I MASTERED THIS - even thought we're 10 years apart in age) what my mother referred to as photographic memory. If I was not sure of an answer I could go to the page in the book and visualize the page; then find the answer. Worked like a charm.

I tanked somewhat on Jj's thread. I only had one dead hit on this picture posted. Other's were vague (my answers, but some did relate to the pictures...lol...still wrong though).

This is cool.

She-ra, have you, or your brother, ever been tested for eidetic memory?

The usual thing would be to present each half of an abstract stereogram, first the "left" side to the left eye, then later the other side to the right eye. You would then be asked to fuse the two images in your head, and then answer questions about the scene (things like: is the sphere in front of the cube or behind it?).

A tougher version uses Julesz figures (a random array of black and white squares on the left, and that pattern with a portion "offset" on the right... if you can fuse them, you would "see" a cube, say, somewhere in the field - very hard to fool the tester on that one).

Does any of that ring a bell? Has anybody else ever had such a test?

(I didn't; I'm too old for those things to have been routinely around. However, I sometimes do that recall thing you described, but I am not sure that I really feel like I am reading the page, if that makes any sense.)

Hmmm, not sure... is that like the "hidden" image thing and/or the say the color in the circle thing (for example: the circle's color would be red but inside the circle the word "blue" would be spelt out) and/or the name all the items in the picture thing?

The red/blue thing sounds more like you might have been taking part in a psychology experment, maybe how people sort out the "conflicting cues" of the color of the letters or background versus the meaning of the word.

"Name all the items in the picture" might be easy for an eidetiker (!), but I would guess other kinds of "good memory" folks would do well, too. On the other hand, I think when someone is identified as an eidetiker, they might be asked to volunteer for that sort of thing. The ability is rare enough, especially in grown-ups, to be worth an experiment or two.

Sounds like you've had some interesting experiences in your travels. Thanks for answering.

My mental images sometimes are so surpsingly sharp it sometimes comes down to even the finest details, but i miss a few sometimes. I could imagine anything. I just can't draw it out though XD

But i voted for the second from top, because honestly, sometimes my imagination becomes too wild, and the images become sketchier and sketchier.

Yes this is a really intriguing topic so I did a search on it couldn’t find much on how different people visualize things but I found this on "mental visualization" that I found quite interesting.

There’s now solid scientific proof we actually create our reality with our thoughts -– and not the other way around. Researchers around the world agree that our thoughts have a very real physical reality –- and actually cause things to happen in the physical world.
We now know from quantum physics, for example, that subatomic particles will physically manifest IF there is someone there to observe them.

the hole article

Yes, I can do that too. Actually there was an interesting exercise I read about once, it was this: In your mind's eye, visualise a cube, put yourself inside the cube and now try to see all sides at once. I was surprised when I could do that too, in fact, it is nigh on impossible to describe what you can see to other people



Those sound like intriguing tests! What sort of people would have those tests?

Originally, I saw them posted on bulletin boards in the psychology department at a nearby university. The posters were soliciting volunteers for experiments being run there.

I wonder what sort of results they got?

also my mental images depends on the mood i'm in...... haha