I was very surprised to learn some folks can't visualize things in their mind, I think I am on the other scale of this ability, I can usually imagine a music video on the fly when listening to music. Of course it lacks resolution but over time you add more and more layers of imagined detail. Very cool article as always!
I suspect there is as much variation within animal minds as our own. I am convinced my cat was a hyperphant as it explains all the games climbing the walls and curtains chasing imaginary birds, not so sure the other cat had a visual imagination the same way (her daughter), I would go as far to say she may have potentially been an aphantic candidate. We used to say at the vets that cats on diazepam/Valium "saw pink elephants" maybe they did? Animals are known to use hallucinogenic drugs, does it alter their minds like it does people (e.g. Jaguars use Ayhhuasca and appear to trip, cats use cat nip in a similar way, not all react to it the same way however - maybe those mind blind dont react, in the same sense those with aphantasia might not react the same way as others to hallucinogenic drugs?) As an aphant, knowing a visual imagination is possible, has helped me understand some of the behavioural issues I have come across in my time working with animals that confused me. As an aphant and with a strong intuition and feeling mind, I am able to work with and understand animals in a way many others cannot. Both ends of the spectrum, from aphantasia to hyperphantasia, appear to provide beneficial insights the majority, having phantsia, might miss.
Justin, As always, Awesome thoughts. I am reading "Visual Thinking" right now and the insight I've gained about how I perceive the world blew me away. I always thought that I was just slower than most of my friends, colleagues and many of my acquaintances. Turns out, there is a concrete reason for why I felt this. Better than 3/4 of the people I asked how they think, think in words, not pictures like me. That loosely correlated to the cross section of those I asked. About 3/4 were academics and 1/4 were creatives. My VVIQ test score pointed towards hyperaphantasia. I just learn differently. For me - Its tough to learn from a written word or verbal direction. That picture is truly worth a thousand words. Looking back at my experience with early academics in the U.S. I feel like that system failed people like me, that had a tougher time learning and did not fit the accepted mold for students.
I also started thinking about how animals think and perceive the world. May well be way above my pay grade but perhaps we are not asking the right question about seeing or the minds eye. I look forward to reading more.
I was very surprised to learn some folks can't visualize things in their mind, I think I am on the other scale of this ability, I can usually imagine a music video on the fly when listening to music. Of course it lacks resolution but over time you add more and more layers of imagined detail. Very cool article as always!
I suspect there is as much variation within animal minds as our own. I am convinced my cat was a hyperphant as it explains all the games climbing the walls and curtains chasing imaginary birds, not so sure the other cat had a visual imagination the same way (her daughter), I would go as far to say she may have potentially been an aphantic candidate. We used to say at the vets that cats on diazepam/Valium "saw pink elephants" maybe they did? Animals are known to use hallucinogenic drugs, does it alter their minds like it does people (e.g. Jaguars use Ayhhuasca and appear to trip, cats use cat nip in a similar way, not all react to it the same way however - maybe those mind blind dont react, in the same sense those with aphantasia might not react the same way as others to hallucinogenic drugs?) As an aphant, knowing a visual imagination is possible, has helped me understand some of the behavioural issues I have come across in my time working with animals that confused me. As an aphant and with a strong intuition and feeling mind, I am able to work with and understand animals in a way many others cannot. Both ends of the spectrum, from aphantasia to hyperphantasia, appear to provide beneficial insights the majority, having phantsia, might miss.
Justin, As always, Awesome thoughts. I am reading "Visual Thinking" right now and the insight I've gained about how I perceive the world blew me away. I always thought that I was just slower than most of my friends, colleagues and many of my acquaintances. Turns out, there is a concrete reason for why I felt this. Better than 3/4 of the people I asked how they think, think in words, not pictures like me. That loosely correlated to the cross section of those I asked. About 3/4 were academics and 1/4 were creatives. My VVIQ test score pointed towards hyperaphantasia. I just learn differently. For me - Its tough to learn from a written word or verbal direction. That picture is truly worth a thousand words. Looking back at my experience with early academics in the U.S. I feel like that system failed people like me, that had a tougher time learning and did not fit the accepted mold for students.
I also started thinking about how animals think and perceive the world. May well be way above my pay grade but perhaps we are not asking the right question about seeing or the minds eye. I look forward to reading more.
Cheers,
J