Aphantasia Glossary
Comprehensive glossary of aphantasia, hyperphantasia, and related neuroscientific terms. Clear definitions for all technical terms.
- Terms
- 20
- Core Terms
- 5
- Neuroscience
- 4
- Other
- 11
Core Terms
Central terms around aphantasia, hyperphantasia, and visual imagery.
- AphantasiaAphantasia is the inability to voluntarily create mental images. People with aphantasia cannot visualize faces, places, or objects in their mind's eye, although they can recognize and describe them. The term was coined by neurologist Adam Zeman in 2015.
- HyperphantasiaHyperphantasia refers to the ability to form extremely vivid, photorealistic mental images. People with hyperphantasia can imagine scenes so detailed that their inner images can almost be confused with real perception.
- HypophantasiaHypophantasia is a proposed term for people who can form mental images, but only vague and dim ones. In the largest analysis to date, with 9,063 respondents, 3.3% fell into this range, more than the 0.9% for aphantasia (Wright et al. 2024).
- ProphantasiaProphantasia refers to the projection of mental images into real visual space. People with prophantasia see their imaginations as if superimposed on their environment.
- Multisensory AphantasiaMultisensory aphantasia refers to the absence of imagery in multiple or all sensory modalities, not just the visual domain. Affected individuals also cannot imagine sounds, smells, or touch sensations.
Neuroscience
Neuroscientific terms: brain regions and processes in visual imagination.
- Visual CortexThe visual cortex is the region of the cerebral cortex that processes visual information. Located in the back of the head (occipital lobe), it is responsible for both seeing and visual imagination.
- Prefrontal CortexThe prefrontal cortex is the foremost part of the frontal lobe and controls executive functions such as planning, decision-making, and impulse control. It also initiates and controls mental images.
- Default Mode NetworkThe Default Mode Network (DMN) is a network of brain regions active during daydreaming, self-reflection, and mental time travel. Early studies point to altered activation patterns in people with aphantasia (hypothesis, not yet conclusively established).
- SynesthesiaSynesthesia is a neurological phenomenon where stimulation of one sense automatically triggers experiences in another sense. For example, letters may be perceived as colors.
Psychology
Psychological and cognitive terms in the context of aphantasia and memory.
- Mental ImagesMental images are internal visual representations that arise without external stimuli. They enable seeing objects, scenes, or people before the "mind's eye," such as when remembering, dreaming, or planning.
- Mind's EyeThe 'mind's eye' is the metaphorical term for the ability to create and view mental images. It describes the subjective experience of visual imagination.
- SDAM (Severely Deficient Autobiographical Memory)SDAM is a memory condition where episodic autobiographical memories are severely limited. Affected individuals cannot mentally return to past experiences, although factual knowledge is preserved.
- Eidetic MemoryEidetic memory refers to the ability to retain images or scenes with photographic accuracy after brief viewing. It is the opposite of aphantasia.
- Image StreamingImage Streaming is a visualization technique where spontaneously arising inner images are described aloud. It is discussed as a possible training for people with aphantasia.
- Episodic MemoryEpisodic memory stores autobiographical memories of personal experiences with spatial, temporal, and emotional context. It enables "mental time travel" into one's own past.
- Prosopagnosia (Face Blindness)Prosopagnosia is the inability to recognize or distinguish faces. It occurs more frequently in people with aphantasia and can be congenital or acquired through brain damage.
Research
Research methods and scientific instruments for investigating aphantasia.
- VVIQ (Vividness of Visual Imagery Questionnaire)The VVIQ is a standardized questionnaire for measuring the vividness of visual imagery. It consists of 16 items where participants rate their ability to visualize on a 5-point scale.
- Binocular RivalryBinocular Rivalry is a visual phenomenon and test procedure where a different image is shown to each eye. Perception alternates between both images, influenced by mental imagination.
- PSIQ (Plymouth Sensory Imagery Questionnaire)The PSIQ is a questionnaire that measures imagery ability across seven modalities: visual, auditory, olfactory, gustatory, tactile, bodily sensation, and emotional feeling. It is more comprehensive than the purely visual VVIQ (Andrade et al. 2014, doi:10.1111/bjop.12050).
- Adam ZemanAdam Zeman is a British neurologist and professor at the University of Exeter who coined the term "aphantasia" in 2015 and significantly advances scientific research on this phenomenon.
Do you have Aphantasia?
Take our VST-16 test and find out where you fall on the visualization spectrum.