PSIQ – The Plymouth Sensory Imagery Questionnaire
The PSIQ was developed in 2014 at the University of Plymouth and measures imagination across all senses. Learn everything about its structure, significance and the research behind it.
What is the PSIQ?
The PSIQ (Plymouth Sensory Imagery Questionnaire) was developed in 2014 by Andrade et al. at the University of Plymouth (doi:10.1111/bjop.12050). It measures the vividness of mental imagery across 6–7 sensory modalities and is the leading multisensory imagery instrument in research.
Unlike the VVIQ, which measures only visual imagery, the PSIQ also captures auditory, olfactory, gustatory, tactile, kinaesthetic and emotional imagery. This allows a nuanced assessment of multisensory aphantasia.
The PSIQ is peer-reviewed and has been used in international aphantasia studies. It is a validated instrument for measuring multisensory imagination — developed at the University of Plymouth under the direction of Jackie Andrade.
We do not offer the original PSIQ items for completion. Copyright in the original items rests with the authors led by Jackie Andrade (University of Plymouth). We respect copyright and have instead developed the MST-21: our own self-test with the same methodology and entirely original items for all 7 sensory modalities.
The seven sensory modalities
Visual
How clearly can you imagine images, colors, and shapes?
Auditory
How vividly can you imagine sounds, voices, and music?
Olfactory
How well can you imagine smells and scents?
Gustatory
How vividly can you imagine tastes?
Tactile
How intensely can you imagine touches and textures?
Kinaesthetic
How clearly can you imagine movements and bodily sensations?
Emotional feeling
Imagining feelings such as excitement or relief
Take the PSIQ test
Allow yourself 10 minutes in a quiet, undisturbed environment.
Take the MST-21 TestFrequently asked questions about PSIQ
What distinguishes the PSIQ from the VVIQ?
The VVIQ measures only visual imagery, while the PSIQ captures all seven sensory modalities: visual, auditory, olfactory, gustatory, tactile, bodily-kinaesthetic, and emotional. This provides a more comprehensive picture of your overall imagery ability.
Can I have aphantasia in one sense but not others?
Yes, this is possible and even relatively common. Some people can imagine images well but not sounds – or vice versa. The PSIQ helps identify these individual differences.
What does it mean if one sense is significantly weaker?
A significantly weaker score in one modality may indicate partial aphantasia in that area. This is not a disorder, but a normal variation in human perception and imagination.
How are my PSIQ results displayed?
Your results are visualized in a radar chart showing all seven sensory modalities. This allows you to see at a glance which senses are stronger or weaker for you.
Quellen
- Original publication (doi:10.1111/bjop.12050) — Andrade, J., May, J., Deeprose, C., Baugh, S.-J., & Ganis, G. (2014). British Journal of Psychology, 105(4).
- Plymouth Psychology: Applied Psychology – Imagery Research
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