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Derek H. Arnold

2 papers in the library · publishing 2025-2026

Papers

Vividness of mental imagery reflects a broad range of internally generated visual experiences

bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory) October 2, 2025 D. Samuel Schwarzkopf, Xinran A Yu, Ecem Altan et al. preprint

Vividness ratings, though lacking an objective reference, are a robust measure of mental visual imagery. They explain individual differences in subjective experiences such as the detail of mental imagery, the propensity for internally generated visual experiences, and the vividness of visual dreams. Simple vividness ratings can replace longer questionnaires, reducing methodological issues. Vividness is closely linked to the experience of seeing mental images or projecting them externally; people who report seeing mental images with eyes shut are more likely to experience externally projected imagery. However, many people report having mental depictions without seeing. The results suggest redefining visual aphantasia to distinguish those with faint or unseen images from those completely lacking pictorial representation.

DOI: 10.1101/2025.09.30.679629 (opens in new tab) Full text (opens in new tab) Mental image Trait Creative visualization Visual perception +2

Heterogeneous relationships between the multisensory content of aphantasics' dreams and their volitional waking imagined experiences.

Scientific Reports June 12, 2026 Derek H. Arnold, Loren N Bouyer, Merlin Monzel

People with Aphantasia, initially characterized as having a deficit in visual imagination, often also report lacking imagined sensations in other modalities such as sound, taste, smell, touch, and body movement. These patterns of imaginative inability vary individually. Many Aphantasics report visual dreams, suggesting the deficit might be specific to volitional waking imagined sensations. This study assessed the multisensory profiles of Aphantasics' dreams and found a typical correspondence between reported multisensory dream contents and volitional waking imagined experiences, though with considerable heterogeneity. Some Aphantasics show tight associations between dream and waking imagined sensations, while others show little or no correspondence, challenging researchers to explain these diverse outcomes.

DOI: 10.1038/s41598-026-56386-9 (opens in new tab) Full text (opens in new tab) Aphantasia Dreams Imagined sensations