Visualizing New Information: What's Normal and What's Not?

[Vagrant]

How do you react to any new piece of information presented to you?
I generally get pictures in my mind. I thought everybody does. However some friends recently mentioned that they have a difficult time visualizing. Is it unusual not to visualize?

 

[michealsmith]

nope , not to my knowledge .. i would have thought it would be quite common

 

[Vagrant]

Not visualizing? I can't imagine how they remember things.

 

[setAI]

any thought process is a complex modular hierarchy of qualia signals/ memories- for instance when you think of a word you get memories of seeing the word in print- and other words associated with that word that generates context about it- you get memories of hearing the word- and memories of other words that came with it- you get memories of emotions associated with the concept of that word- and each of the other words/phrases which correspond with your memories of the word themselves trigger memories of visualizations and speech/sound and images associated with seeing/hearing the word [the text- the book/ newspaper/ screen/ the library/ bookstore/ or bus where you read it/ your teacher in elementary school who taught you more about the word or the idea the word represents/ emotional reactions etc] as well as the word ideas themselves [images associated with what the word represents]

there are a cascade of corresponding image/speech/sound/emotional memories triggered by any idea- usually tied to words [which each contain their own image/sound triggers]

stronger emotions/tactile/olfactory qualia are more primitive- usually triggered by behavioral reactions to physical events as opposed to contemplation-

some people talk about thinking visually instead of logically- however both are really complex sets of many kinds of qualia all triggering each other- sometimes certain types will seem to dominate the process- but it always takes several ways of thinking/remembering ideas to think about anything