What do people mean: "Autistics think in pictures"

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I'm thinking in picture/video/diagrams/movement/colours. It's hard to explain. My answers are always like this, the second step is that a concious translation to words. Everything in my mind has it's way to operate. Finding the way for example - that's always a visual task. My head is full of cards and when I must, I can use them to spin, locate, visualise. Other thoughts of mine have nothing to with real life pictures or video films. How I remember factual information for example. I wish I could tell how I do it. I know that my moods reflect on my thoughts in a weird manner, as if 'colouring' my mind and making my head spin. I LOVE philosophical topics because if they're really good, then in my mind as many ways of thought as possible are connected, a swirling motion, colours, visuals and forms - I think I like forms best. I can look at them in my mind and I just know what they mean, without having to think these thoughts through.

Now, that's why I find it hard to explain something to a person unless they're willing to do more than sitting there and listening to what I have to say.

Personally, I doubt the incidence of thinking in images compared to not isn't any different to the normal population.

The ratio is like 40/60% for thinking in images to not for normal people, and my research sees a similar split in those with ASDs (around half-half).

I think in pictures, but I also see all of my words in my head as though they are on a scroll bar. Apparently that's somewhat uncommon too btw. But then again, all of my words and numbers are in color too . . .

And then anytime I think of something specific or have to understand something, I see everything in 3D like a movie or something, I guess. One time in class, they asked who of us could imagine a rubik's cube in our mind. Then they asked who all could rotate it in their minds as well. I was like one of five who could do it. I said, is that all you want me to do with it? I can rotate, twist, spin, rip apart, blow it up, inflate, use as a kickball . . . I mean, it's no big deal.

Sounds like my concept of Symbolic-Spatial thinking.

Hmm, this might be what I've heard called "existential" or "intrapersonal (within-self)" thinking. I'd call it Existential-Sentimental thinking.

The test said that:

You are a Spatial Thinker

Spatial Thinkers:

* Tend to think in pictures, and can develop good mental models of the physical world.
* Think well in three dimensions
* Have a flair for working with objects

Oh well, to some things this fits.

I got:

What the? Philosopher? Religious leader? Head of state? ( )

The test isn't too accurate for some...

I feel the same way. I think everyone thinks in pictures to some extent. One thing that I've noticed I do is that when I picture a month or day of the week I have a picture for it....almost like a circle of the months, all in a row with a color associated with each. It's not a picture of anything in particular, but I see the months as a circle of colors. For days of the week, I see them as a line of different images, but again, nothing particular, and the colors aren't as clear.

I came out as a linguistic thinker.

No scores shown though so I couldn't see my overall profile.

Interesting.

and



What I find most interesting here is, I am a computer programmer primarily. I have always, however, had a strong interest in the naturalist careers listed, and enjoy having a vegetable garden. I hate getting grease on my hands, but am not at all bothered by dirt, and have always enjoyed digging in it.

On a side note to Lonelybonesey, I too have always been uncomfortable with using the salutation of "Dear" on letters not written to someone I care about. My training that formal business letters should be written "Dear Sirs" always felt wrong.

I wonder if it's also tied to the way I/we think that the word is the thing. I know that Aspies are described as literal, and we have a hard time "reading between the lines". I work hard to say precisely what I mean, and to mean what I say.

A thousand words is worth a picture topic (part 2)

I have always been of the opinion that thinking is awareness of reality. What ever is being experienced is put into short/long term memory, then we reflect on this by using pictures, words, numbers or whatever symbols we are accustomed to using to try to sort it out. Reality happens first and then reflection/thinking occurs. Sometimes the reflection is more analytical based on what I consider a priority. Not everything can go into deep analysis, because of time constraints.

This thread is amazing. Every poster here has a very interesting view, expecially the language subjects. I never knew it was so detailed!

Keep it up!

I have instinctual/instant/picture thoughts.

When I think of something to solve, sometimes tha answer would rise up from my head in like a nanosecond with out thinking. And sometimes I could think in like the feeling of the word. Like, Befor you associated picture to words you would attach a feeling to the word, And it means the word. That's way when ever I think about something, I'm feeling it to an extent.

The closes I could explain it is just instinctual and instant.

On the other hand, I'm a major picture thinker. I think everything in pictures like a movie or comic. I even view myself as third person.

But these two qualities go hand in hand! And that's why I feel that my thoughts are instinctual and remanicent of on animal thought.

I have no idea how else to explain it!

I sometimes do this too, but there's no set type of thought or category of thinking processes that I can attribute these sorts of thoughts to. They're generally random amongst the words, concepts, and ideas I know and random among the different types of thoughts I have.

I hope this makes sense. I can't think of a better way to describe it right now.

Ive been wondering this:

When you guys say "I think in pictures" is this a still image? Can you rotate the image (whether 2d/3d)? Zoom in/out? If you picture a mall, is everything motionless? Is there sequences, as in picture after picture, or is actuall like "real-time"?

This is what I don't understand about "thinking in pictures". I cannot comprehend pictures. Everything must be moving, building.

I think each person has their own definition of "thinking in pictures", at least that's the impression I got from reading this thread (which is a really interesting thread BTW).

Thinking in pictures would be thinking in film, still, 2D, 3D, "computerized", photograph?

Makes sense. To me it just sounded like people just saw a still image in their heads, of which they found all answers from. That for me would be ridiculous because I would gather nothing from it. I cannot understand art. I can understand music because it says something, but art is motionless to me.



OT:

I rated as an existential thinker. I agree.