Aphantasia: An Inability To Imagine Pictures

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Aphantasia was coined as a condition in June of 2015. After neurologist Adam Zeman published a case study of one man who couldn’t picture anything in his mind’s eye, multiple other people wrote in saying that they couldn’t either. Dr. Zeman sent a questionnaire to these respondents and compiled a study that summed up the symptoms of aphantasia. Curiously, many people with aphantasia can perform tasks that would seem to require mental imagery, such as counting the number of windows in their home. Scientists think that their brains have developed a different way of addressing visual problems.

What is Imagination? - Philosophy Tube

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Key Facts To Know

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1 When you picture something in your mind, it's called "imaging." But it's not the only kind of imagining that your brain does. (00:45)
2 Belief is more closely linked to perception and action than imagination. (02:03)
3 Imagination has been defined as "the capacity to entertain representational states of mind without being committed to their truth." (04:38)