Mental image (mental picture)

A mental image is a picture or representation of something in a person’s mind. The concept is sometimes referred to as imagining, seeing with the mind’s eye, or visualizing. It is usually applied in situations in which the actual object is not present but can refer to imagining something or someone in another context. For example, someone may be telling a story about a funny incident that occurred earlier in the day, and the person hearing the story may form a mental image of that experience.

Mental images are thought to be important to the process of forming memories. They can form spontaneously or can be controlled and directed by conscious thought. While most people have mental images, some experience them more vividly and with more detail than others do, and some do not experience them at all. The absence of mental images is a condition called aphantasia.

Background

The Greek philosopher Aristotle was interested in studying and exploring the concept of mental images. He used the word phantasia to apply to all forms of mental images, such as dreams, memories, imagination, and other visual thoughts. The word aphantasia, referring to the absence of mental images, is derived from this usage.

Aristotle saw phantasia as essential to thought and reason. He proposed that it helped connect external sensations and perceptions with the mind in a way that made thoughts, memories, reasoning, imagination, and visualizing possible. Aristotle also proposed that the use of mental imagery by athletes could help them achieve personal excellence in their sports endeavors. By imagining all the details of a successful competition, the athletes would have a favorable perception of their potential. Aristotle also suggested that this mental practice, when done well, could essentially train the brain to help the body perform better. Contemporary research has supported this ancient theory.

Overview

Mental images serve a wide range of functions in human thought processes. They allow people to relive past experiences and anticipate future events. Through mental images, people can also experience places and things they have never seen and even things that do not yet exist. Mental images make memories, imagination, and innovations possible. They are also significant factors in some forms of mental illness and are increasingly being used to help treat people with mental health issues.

Some of the key aspects of mental imagery are that they include images related to multiple physical senses like sight, sound, and smell. They can evoke physical responses such as anger, fear, or joy. They can be vague or vivid but are also controllable—people are able to focus, intensify, or manipulate aspects of the image to change the experience.

People have theorized about how the brain forms mental images for hundreds of years. The development of technology such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has made it possible to study the brain while mental images are being formed. Through this, researchers have determined that the process of creating and manipulating mental images is spread through several areas of the brain. The visual cortex plays a role, as do the frontal-parietal control regions. However, testing with MRIs and fMRIs, or functional MRIs, has indicated that the process is spread through a network of connected areas in the brain. Scientists have also determined that both seeing something and imagining the same thing activate the same areas of the brain but with one key difference: in seeing something, the nerves are activated from visual areas up to the brain, while when imagining something, the nerves are activated in the opposite direction, from the brain to the eyes.

It is believed that the majority of people form mental images. However, researchers have determined that there are differences in how they are experienced. This was first confirmed by the work of Francis Galton, a British scholar with multiple interests who is considered a pioneer in understanding human intelligence. In 1833, Galton asked one hundred people to describe the table where they had breakfast that morning. Some respondents could visualize the table in great detail, while others could not provide any description, and still others responded with various levels of detail. Additional research since this time has confirmed that some people have a condition known as aphantasia, which means they do not form mental images. Others are super imagers, who appear to have enhanced skills for forming these images. The majority of people fall between these two extremes. It is believed that most people do form mental images while dreaming, even if they do not form them when awake.

In most cases, mental images are easier to form with closed eyes. This is most likely because the process of forming a mental image uses many of the same parts of the brain as seeing an actual object; therefore, blocking sight allows for better mental focus. Aspects of the sight process also seem to play a role in how people mentally manipulate objects to form new images. For example, researchers have discovered that people are more likely to remember details of objects or pictures that are large in relation to the things around them, as opposed to things that are smaller than those nearby. The process of mentally moving through space—such as imagining walking through a house—is also affected by reality. It will take longer for a person to mentally “walk” through an imagined house to a room that is farther away from the starting point than one that is closer, for instance.

Research has also uncovered that meaning plays a key role in how mental images are stored and recalled over time. For instance, a person is asked to look at pictures depicting someone getting out the ingredients for a sandwich, assembling it, and then carrying a lunchbox. Several days later, they are shown the same series of pictures, along with one that shows the person wrapping the sandwich. They will likely agree that the picture of wrapping the sandwich was part of the original set of pictures because the process of making a mental image includes establishing meaning for the image. Wrapping the sandwich fits with the overall meaning of the image, so it becomes part of the mental image.

Athletes and others often use mental imagery to rehearse future events. For example, someone who is scheduled to take her driving test can imagine the entire process, from arriving at the test center and checking in to going step by step through the course. She can imagine remaining calm and completing each step correctly. Such mental practice has been shown to generate positive results when the experience is undertaken in reality.

Bibliography

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