Non-visual working memory strategies in aphantasia: An objective assessment
Year: 2025
Type: conference-paper
Study design: Study Protocol
Abstract: Aphantasia—the inability to generate visual mental images—presents a paradox: individuals with aphantasia perform well on visual working memory tasks previously thought to require imagery. Literature suggests aphantasics employ alternative spatial or verbal strategies, yet without objective validation. We developed an online working memory task for a large-scale study, for which data are currently being collected. Participants memorized items with three features: colour (visual), orientation (spatial), and word (verbal). Our independent variable was the presence/absence of aphantasia (based on imagery questionnaires); dependent variables included accuracy scores for each feature type and prioritization patterns. The task's difficulty forces strategic prioritization of features to maximize performance. We hypothesize aphantasics will show lower colour recall accuracy while compensating through enhanced word/orientation memory. If feature preference patterns correlate with subjective imagery assessments, this paradigm would offer an objective measure of representational strategies. Beyond methodology, this approach could clarify cognitive mechanisms underlying memory processes in aphantasia and across the visual imagery spectrum.
Source: HAL
Language: English
Subfield: Experimental and Cognitive Psychology
Field: Psychology
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W7205620541