Do you think in pictures?

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I think in pictures...I for one am glad that you added in "/movies"; I tend to do a lot of playing back in my head past actions or experiences i.e. the instances when I learn new words to add to my vocabulary, or when I in-visualise an action I'm about to carry out.

I don't either really to be honest. I mean, I can understand what that would be like because I have seen pictures with my eyes, so I guess it would be like stringing a bunch of them together in the mind(???). I think my visual imagination is shot...But my conceptual imagination is a different story.

I do however think in abstract concepts/words. It's really difficult because I often have to translate them into some form of metaphor or simile in order to get my point across, so people can actually understand what I'm thinking; Even then, it's not exactly what I was thinking. Difficult.

I usually think in narrated pictures, but I can think in just words, so I picked 'mostly words'.

I think in words. I at least I think I do.

I hear the words. Though sometimes I see them written.

My Mom apparently sees written text usually. She even types in the air when she's thinking deeply.

Incidentally, Mom has a great deal of difficulty with visuospatial tasks, and does not think in pictures apart from written text. So I can say pretty clearly that those are separate.



My guess is on average they'd have more interest in books, because some picture thinkers (such as some of the people in this thread) find it difficult to comprehend written text.

For me, I love to read, and although I do often have pictures accompanying my internal voice, they're usually blurry colorless cartoons or dark silhouettes. I only ever see a vivid image if I've seen it in real life, or make a particular effort.

What I like about books is feeling what the character feels, as well as pondering how their world works. And sometimes I get excited about an elegantly phrased statement that sounds really neat. (Though I think poets tend to like that stuff more than I do.)



That's really interesting.

Right hemisphere tends to be more 'big picture' and left hemisphere more detail-oriented, from what I've heard. And crossed laterality applies to vision - your right hemisphere handles the left half of the visual field of both eyes, and vice versa. (Brain injury affecting vision causes blind spots in the same place on both eyes.)

When I read a book I'm watching whatever my mind comes up with. I'm conscious of the words, but experiencing them visually. When I get real tired, it 'shuts off' and I will realize I'm no longer comprehending.

Honestly, for me, it's both.

I "hear" words and "see" them.

My memory for printed text is ironclad.

I think almost exclusively in pictures. When I read a book the word tends to become the object described. If its an idea, rather than a thing , I have problems visualizing it and. Rather the words and letter forms become the picture.

Interesting, I had not made this connection previously but I too often find myself leaning on the crutch of metaphor when I am having difficulty translating my ideas into words. And yes, it is never quite right...

Do any of you guys use or have used a "visual dictionary"? I have never heard of it until today. Here is an example.

http://www.amazon.com/Ultimate-Visual-Dictionary-DK-Publishing/dp/0756686830/ref=pd_sim_b_2

I have great difficulty in visualizing. Usually the best I can get is a vague outline for a fraction of a second and a sense of shape. For instance if I try to visualize an elephant I may get a flash of a roughly elephant shaped shadow and a feeling of size. For me the details of the elephant would be similar to looking up an elephant in a dictionary - all words describing it. My thoughts are mostly words and concepts. The words are like a running narration but there isn't any real sense of sound.

I had no idea not everybody thought in pictures... It seems really weird to think in words.
I do create sentences in my mind to translate the pictures to other people, but that's not the same...

I wonder what would happen if someone who thinks in words was never taught language ?
What about memories ? Memories have to be pictures, right ? I can't imagine remembering with words...

Last edited by compcuanol on 28 Jan 2013, 12:31 am, edited 1 time in total.

A mix of motion pictures and words. Something plays out in my head and I make verbal commentary on it in my head.

It's a mix, but thinking in pictures seems more natural and is probably what I do more often.

Vestibular is a sense that includes things like motion. People tend to think of senses as touch, taste, smell, hearing, and vision. However there's also vestibular (which helps with balance) and proprioception (your sense of your own body in space). I believe that those can be implicated in synesthesia as well.

Also, I'm sorry about missing this response yesterday. Not sure how that happened.

Thanks for the explanation. And it's OK I have a short attention span so I missed you missing