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wester13
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11 May 2013, 2:07 pm

Could anyway tell me what is like to think in pictures or in words.Any test to determine whether you think in pictures or in words.Thanks in advance



sixstring
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11 May 2013, 3:23 pm

I would say thinking in words mostly means you have lots of inner dialogues and monologues.
Thinking in images is "seeing" it happen in your head.



GregCav
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11 May 2013, 9:18 pm

A big question.

I will try to explain some of the more odd aspects in a sec. First up I'll try to cover the broad generalisations. Please note that these are my experiences, I'm sure others will visualise their world differently.

I recently constructed a rock retaining wall in the front yard. After a week, I found that I could very easily look into a space in the wall (the next rock to fit here) and explore the pile of rocks. It's surprising just how quick I could find the perfect rock to fit into that 3-dimensional space.

So the short answer (for me at least) is being able to visualise like a large jig-saw puzzle. See conceptualy what is needed, and visualise a concept that fits.

I think the reality to this is not so much the seeing, but using the visual cortex of the brain mass for the processing of concepts. It feels visual, but there isn't neccessarilty a visual component. Especialy when analysing concepts and finding relationships between impossible relationships.

Now somoe oddities. Music. I have on occasion seen music flowing through my mind. It's mosly a colour mozaic with splashes of texture. Rapidly changing as the music changes, colour and texture, all similar and all moving. A fantastic experience. :)



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11 May 2013, 9:53 pm

Once, a long time ago, a therapist gave me a word association test. You're supposed to give him a word back for every one he says to you. Whatever word his word made you think of.

I got no words. I kept getting mental images. I told him each time the picture that'd popped up in my mind, and after a few he said "But you're supposed to give me words."

"I'm not getting any," I said. "I'm just getting mental pictures." (For example, he said "white", and I got a picture of a snow-capped mountain surrounded by a snow covered landscape.)

He gave up on the word association test.

More recently, for other reasons, he asked if I'd ever had an autism evaluation. When told I'd suspected autism for a long time, and reminded of the word association test, he strongly suggested I have an evaluation.


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Your Aspie score: 100 of 200 / Your neurotypical (non-autistic) score: 101 of 200
You seem to have both Aspie and neurotypical traits

What would these results mean? Been told here I must be a "half pint".


wester13
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12 May 2013, 2:44 am

Thank you for your answers.I sometime associate a word to an object i see because the way the word is written seems similar to that object.Has it ever happene to anyone



TheValk
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12 May 2013, 2:48 am

I have neither words nor images in my mind. Dunno how that works.



HaySkyNat
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16 May 2013, 11:02 pm

Sethno wrote:
Once, a long time ago, a therapist gave me a word association test. You're supposed to give him a word back for every one he says to you. Whatever word his word made you think of.

I got no words. I kept getting mental images. I told him each time the picture that'd popped up in my mind, and after a few he said "But you're supposed to give me words."

"I'm not getting any," I said. "I'm just getting mental pictures." (For example, he said "white", and I got a picture of a snow-capped mountain surrounded by a snow covered landscape.)

He gave up on the word association test.

More recently, for other reasons, he asked if I'd ever had an autism evaluation. When told I'd suspected autism for a long time, and reminded of the word association test, he strongly suggested I have an evaluation.


I actually remember my psychiatrist doing the same thing with me when I was a teenager. I found it hard to think of words, mostly only saw pictures.



chris5000
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16 May 2013, 11:50 pm

I think in a combination of words, pictures and movies. it can be a real pain when someone asks you something and you can see the answer but cant find the words



daisysunflower
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17 May 2013, 3:24 am

I hope it's ok for me to join in- I'm not an aspie but I suspect my husband might be, he is not aware of my suspicion .
The other day we were talking and I asked him the same question. I was shocked w/his answer because he told me he thinks in images. I said when I think I'm going to phone him for eg I just think in phrases of doing this and there are other thoughts going on too like will my mum phone and what I'll plant in garden etc- then I phone him, we talk- it's all phrases passing through my mind. S'times I'll picture s'thing or s'one- like our grand kids or my sick cat- whatever. It's all running through my mind, words, phrases, may be pix.....
My husband says if he's going to phone me, he pictures me and pictures everything he thinks about. He said he was surprised to hear I think in words!
When I thought about this I realised it must be quite tiring to think in pictures all the time and I understood why my husband likes quiet, alone time and doing crosswords and sudoku and routine jobs- at least I think I understand....



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17 May 2013, 9:14 am

It's not tiring for me to think in images. Thinking in words would be tiring for me. What is tiring is talking, because I always have to translate images into words.



daisysunflower
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17 May 2013, 9:32 am

Nonperson wrote:
It's not tiring for me to think in images. Thinking in words would be tiring for me. What is tiring is talking, because I always have to translate images into words.


Thank you for sharing, I understand what you are saying.



lacycurtains
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17 May 2013, 10:41 am

I think in words, with illustrations that pin down just exactly what I mean. Run, for example, a run in stockings, a boy running, that kind of thing. Like I'm explaining to myself, which is weird now that I think about it. In a word association test, an image is my immediate response, needing translation into verbal form. Very often, the last word or words of a train of thought appears in my mind as if it were drawn. Example: upon seeing my sister-in-law, thinking 'she's gained a lot of weight, she sure is fat' the word 'fat' will appear written in fat, fluffy letters.

Only recently have I learned not everyone thinks like this. So, how do they link thoughts together to make sense? Seems like they'd be so wispy, they'd escape.



elsing
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18 May 2013, 1:45 pm

I can certainly relate to GregCav solving complex 3D problems in my mind, this is so unbelievably useful and frustrating as I am almost unable to communicate to other people wheat I am thinking, I think my mumbling and tongue tied explanation makes me come across as stupid. Often I will play out a scenario in my head before I give an opinion.



Kurgan
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18 May 2013, 6:28 pm

wester13 wrote:
Could anyway tell me what is like to think in pictures or in words.Any test to determine whether you think in pictures or in words.Thanks in advance


Imagine a YouTube clip being played inside your head whenever you thought of something. :)



TheValk
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18 May 2013, 7:03 pm

Kurgan wrote:
wester13 wrote:
Could anyway tell me what is like to think in pictures or in words.Any test to determine whether you think in pictures or in words.Thanks in advance


Imagine a YouTube clip being played inside your head whenever you thought of something. :)


Wouldn't that be thinking in videos?