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Can people really see something that they imagine? I can only create a conceptual image in my head but I don't really see anything. It's like a symbolic version

by Geee 8y ago

Can people really see something that they imagine? I can only create a conceptual image in my head but I don't really see anything. It's like a symbolic version of the image. If I imagine a beach, I can tell where sand, ocean and sky are located but I don't see anything visually.

kszxgz 8y ago
That's my own experience as well. I would guess that this is how most people experience 'imagination'. Same with faces: I guess nobody can really 'see' a face in their imagination, at least not for more than a few seconds of high-resolution short-term memory. They can, however, use their knowledge about nose shapes etc. to construct a symbolic model of the face in their mind.
Steve44 8y ago
A little while ago I watched a series called The Brain with David Eagleman and one thing that really stuck with me was how the eyes and brain interact. The eyes are not connected straight to the main brain, they feed into a 'frame buffer' which creates an image. The brain then looks at what is in the 'frame buffer' and can also add/feedback into it. This is partially why psychosis can seem so real. One part of our brain feeds into the 'frame buffer', the other part of the brain interpreting what you see can't tell the difference between input from the eyes and feedback from the brain. Those spiders you are seeing are as real to you as if you really do see them with your eyes. This also goes some way to explaining how the 'gorilla walking through the basketball game' illusion works and other visual tricks such as not seeing the blackout when your eyes move - you really didn't see that cyclist etc. (I've explained that in my simple language from recollection as it's how I easily understand it.)
cybersol 8y ago
This is 100% me when I remember a beach scene, but my mom sees a photorealistic photo in her mind. This photo or movie quality seems more typical for memories for most people, whereas for synthetic imagination I think the ability to make it photorealistic varies more.
lowdest 8y ago
I have an unusually vivid imagination I think, but I absolutely see things that I imagine. I can also hear improvised music, voices, almost whatever I want.

by Geee 8y ago

kszxgz 8y ago

That's my own experience as well. I would guess that this is how most people experience 'imagination'. Same with faces: I guess nobody can really 'see' a face in their imagination, at least not for more than a few seconds of high-resolution short-term memory. They can, however, use their knowledge about nose shapes etc. to construct a symbolic model of the face in their mind.

Steve44 8y ago

A little while ago I watched a series called The Brain with David Eagleman and one thing that really stuck with me was how the eyes and brain interact. The eyes are not connected straight to the main brain, they feed into a 'frame buffer' which creates an image. The brain then looks at what is in the 'frame buffer' and can also add/feedback into it. This is partially why psychosis can seem so real. One part of our brain feeds into the 'frame buffer', the other part of the brain interpreting what you see can't tell the difference between input from the eyes and feedback from the brain. Those spiders you are seeing are as real to you as if you really do see them with your eyes. This also goes some way to explaining how the 'gorilla walking through the basketball game' illusion works and other visual tricks such as not seeing the blackout when your eyes move - you really didn't see that cyclist etc. (I've explained that in my simple language from recollection as it's how I easily understand it.)

cybersol 8y ago

This is 100% me when I remember a beach scene, but my mom sees a photorealistic photo in her mind. This photo or movie quality seems more typical for memories for most people, whereas for synthetic imagination I think the ability to make it photorealistic varies more.

lowdest 8y ago

I have an unusually vivid imagination I think, but I absolutely see things that I imagine. I can also hear improvised music, voices, almost whatever I want.