Visual imagery vividness appears to be independent of perceptual and memory precision

Visual mental imagery, or the ability to “see” with the mind’s eye, varies substantially across individuals. This vividness ranges from aphantasia, where no mental images are experienced, to hyperphantasia, characterized by exceptionally vivid imagery. In the present study we investigated the possible connection between the vividness of visual mental imagery and precision of information retrieval from visual memory. We hypothesized that individuals with weak or no imagery would show reduced memory precision compared to those with vivid imagery. Participants completed three tasks: a visual perception task (control), a visual working memory task, and a visual long-term memory task. Imagery vividness was assessed using the Vividness of Visual Imagery Questionnaire (VVIQ). In all tasks, participants adjusted the color of a grayscale test object to match a colored sample object shown previously (memory tasks) or simultaneously (perception task). Contrary to our hypothesis, there was no association between mental imagery vividness and memory precision. We discuss possible explanations, including the surprisingly widespread and apparently effective use of verbal strategies in visual memory tasks regardless of imagery strength.