bioRxivOctober 27, 2026William Duckett, Jon Simons
preprint
Mental imagery is often assumed to support episodic memory, yet whether this relationship depends on conscious access to imagery, and how reduced imagery differs from total aphantasia, remains unclear. The present study compared objective episodic memory performance, subjective trial-by-trial vividness, confidence, and response times in people reporting normal imagery, reduced imagery, or total...
Individuals with aphantasia, a non-clinical condition typically characterised by mental imagery deficits, often report reduced episodic memory. However, findings have hitherto rested largely on subjective self-reports, with few studies experimentally investigating both objective and subjective aspects of episodic memory in aphantasia. In this study, we tested both aspects of remembering in...
The ability to remember events in vivid, multisensory detail is a significant part of human experience, allowing us to relive previous encounters and providing us with the store of memories that shape our identity. Recent research has sought to understand the subjective experience of remembering: what it feels like to have a memory. Such remembering involves reactivating sensory-perceptual...