Distracted Visual Thinking

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I tend to be a visual thinker, although I do not always have complete control over the contents of the images I create. The thought processes I go through often are quite strange, with random insertions of associated items and themes. There are times when I can visualize in a controlled manner, with an ability to focus and direct my thoughts. But often, my thinking takes place in a cloud of distractions

Recently, while taking an online I.Q. test, my visualization of a particular problem involved such extraneous elements as the “Lard Lad” from The Simpsons, an alien smoking a cigarette, carhops on roller skates, a judge wearing a wig, and elevator music.

For the problem I was attempting to solve, all that was necessary was a simple visualization of a donut shaped building with two doors on the outside and three doors opening to the inner courtyard. In this case, the abundance of distracting nonsense did not prevent me from solving the problem correctly. However, the distracting elements did increase the mental processing time.

Examining my thought process reveals that most of the unessential elements had some association with each other. The building was a donut shape, so I pictured a large donut shape from a memory I have of a large donut shaped sign above a donut shop. That donut memory triggered the insertion of the Lard Lad from The Simpsons. (The Lard Lad was a giant statue of a boy holding aloft a donut.) The carhops on roller skates I saw in the center of the donut, the donut courtyard. The carhops were triggered by the giant donut and the Lard Lad. Giant donut signs are an American roadside type attraction, as were drive-in diners where carhops worked, such as “Bob’s Big Boy,” who bears a resemblance to the Lard Lad. The courtyard in the center of the donut had to be presided over by a judge. I don’t know where the alien came from, or why he was smoking, which reminded me of an X-Files episode. The alien and the elevator music were the only true intruders here; I can’t associate them with anything. However, all the other things were triggered by the image of a giant donut.

These types of distractions can be manageable as long as they revolve around the original focus. However, I do run into serious problems at times. The string of associations occasionally usurps the original focus causing my mind to wander off the subject. This results in the ‘staring into space’ phenomenon. During the staring phase, the string of associations runs out of control, one thing leading to the next. Eventually an association occurs that reminds me of what I should be focusing on and the process begins anew.

I can relate, synchro. That is exactly how I think. Too many things go on in my head at once.

I can totally relate to that Synchro. You've worded it well.

I'm recently trying a bit to think 'visually'. I don't understand how others do when they think 'visually', but I feel my way of thinking is similar to that of synchro.

I like this topic very much.

Thanks, ElfMan!



one1ai, it wasn’t until recently that I have understood how much visualization I do. In the past, I assumed that everyone thought similarly to myself, but that I had a more advanced ability to visualize. In my case visualization is natural, automatic, and almost constant.

It is rare for me to think in pure linguistics, without images. I can do this occasionally while writing or speaking and it requires an intense focus. More often, when I am attempting to produce language, the thinking process is a mix of linguistic and visual thinking. The linguistic thinking either triggers visualizations that appear and disappear rapidly, or there is a visual scenario depicted in which I am using language.

For example, I remember a girl I had feelings for, whom I had much to say to. I would practice speaking with her in my mind. The thinking process was linguistic, as I was creating language, but it was presented in various visual scenarios. One was of me driving my truck down a mountain road, with her in the passenger seat. Another was she and I strolling in a pine forest. This is a routine way that I contemplate communication between another and myself. In my mind, there is always a visual context, a place where the simulated communication occurs. The person I wish to speak to, their imagined responses, and the simulated environment are presented in realistic detail.

Usually I don't have major interference problems, I can keep it pretty clean, but what kills me is visual humor. If I hear something funny enough and over-the-top impractical I'll have a hard time not busting up every 15 seconds for the next 5 or 10 minutes (I've gotten a lot better at stopping myself with practice but its still kinda scary - you know how NT's are, laughing to yourself is pretty close to social suicide).

I can really relate to visual thinking. Most of my thinking plays as quick snapshots of still images or like a movie, it just depends on how deep the thought is. Spoken words don't mean anything to me unless I'm really paying attention and even then I have to visualize what is being said, which often triggers many associative images and affects my ability to concentrate. I frequently get lost in my own thoughts because of the movie playing effects. One simple concept can put me off on a tangent for several minutes because my mind jumps from picture to picture creating similar associations from one picture to the next. When I bring up a memory, it feels like I'm actually living it again, and I recall every sight, sound, smell, etc. It comes in very handy in my job as a construction contractor and estimator because I can go back and visualize every aspect of the jobsite and recreate it like I was standing there. I rarely have to take notes.

I thought that was how everyone thinks. Every thought I have is associated with a picture or movie. This entertaining and distracting at the same rime. I could sit and watch my thoughts for hours (I do sometimes).

I know exactly what you're talking about. I'm a visual thinker, but I have difficulty controlling all the images in my head. I get the movie effect all the time too.

Synchro wrote:

Exactly the same for me!!

RJ wrote:

Yep I can relate to this too. I have often said that my mind works like a mandala. What I was trying to say is that my mind goes from one object of assosiation to another. If I vocalize my thoughts while I am doing this, I leave people totally baffled.

Something I like to do since I was young is I 'take a snap shot picture ' of the area I am in with my mind. Then I close my eyes and navigate through the area only using the picture in my mind. Does this make sense? Does anyone else do this?

ElfMan

I love doing this. I have sort of a 3d picture in my head of happy places or moments. I sometimes use these to calm down when Im stressed.

I think what you mean tear is more like meditation. What I mean is say I am at the door of a room. I will scan the room to lock it into my memory. Then with my eyes closed, physically navigate through said room using only the picture in my head. Did that explain it better?

ElfMan

Yes that did Elfman.

Five or ten minutes? I've had spontaneous mental imagery that has made me laugh for days at a time! I know what you mean though, it can be seen as improper behavior around others. When I was a teenager, my friends would tell me, “maintain, man!” Their stoic faces made it even more difficult to stop laughing. My close friends of the past became accustomed to my laughing all the time and rarely grew impatient with me.



I’ve done this as well, but by turning the lights out in the room. It isn’t unusual for me to walk around in the dark at home, like descending to the kitchen for a drink late at night. I’ve got a decent ability to remember where objects are placed in a room. I’d like to try this in a foreign environment, a room I have never been in.



This is all too familiar to me. I find it hard to stay focused on another’s linear, verbal track when being spoken too. It’s also been difficult for me to create accurate visualizations when another is verbally describing the item I am trying to visualize. For instance, a friend and I were building cat furniture. His attempt to describe his plans to me resulted in my visualizing something similar to an M.C. Escher drawing.

I can associate with that! I have to really concentrate to make sense of spoken language in the first place-- but even when I get the words translated into some visual form, it still doesn't always make coherent sense. Sometimes I'm not entirely sure what someone's talking about; I don't know how many times I've had conversations like this:

"See that dog over there?"
"Over where?"
"By the tree."
"By the tree...hmm...I'm looking over by the tree, but I don't see anything."
"No, not that tree, the tree over there!"
"What tree? I don't see any other trees!"

The above conversation was hypothetical, of course. But similar things have happened all too often in real life, leaving the other person dumbfounded wondering how I could possibly misinterpret what he or she was saying...

Been there done that plenty of times.

"Scott, can you see the rainbow"
"No"
"It's over there by the cloud"
"What cloud?"
(Pointing) - "That cloud right there!"
(Not seeing which cloud, the whole sky for as a far as I'm concerned is one giant cloud) - "Ohhh! *That* cloud!"

It's also happened at work

"Scott, can you put this in the special order bin?"
"Where is that?"
"It's in the back by the recieving door, middle shelf"

So I get back there, and I see three doors, all of which are used for recieving, and all of which have shelving units next to them, with only two shelves on each unit, so I have no idea what is meant by "middle" shelf.

Or which door it goes by for that matter.