Mental image vividness and aphantasia judgements are fundamentally compromised by overlooked definition problems

Description

Alexander A Sulfaro wrote a 2026 theoretical article arguing that measures of mental image vividness rest on an undefined concept. Vividness ratings are meant to capture how sensory a mental image feels, on a scale running to aphantasia, the claimed absence of mental imagery. Such ratings are widely used, and studies of aphantasia are growing. Sulfaro argues the field assumes these measures are valid without a logical basis for that assumption.

The core problem, he says, is that the single axis separating a mental image from other experiences has eluded definition for centuries. While it stays undefined, variation along it cannot be validly measured, and checks against other measures are circular. He also argues that confounding criteria can explain common findings, and that even confident imagery self-reports can be doubted. Better reference definitions are proposed.

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Source: https://europepmc.org/article/MED/PMC13260255