Picture a bright red apple. Most people can do this easily. They imagine the apple's shape, color and shine. But for others, the image is vague and blurry or they "see" nothing at all. This is known as aphantasia—a "blind mind's eye."

What we are dealing with here are individual differences in mental imagery. Research suggests mental imagery exists on a continuum, and this can affect how we learn.

Every day in class, students are encouraged to "visualize," "imagine," or "picture" concepts. For example, in geography, students need to imagine landscapes or weather systems. In science, they are asked to mentally represent atoms, electric currents or molecular processes.

But what happens when a student cannot easily do this?

Our study examines whether differences in mental imagery affect students' learning—and how teachers and parents can reduce any disadvantage this may cause.

Why mental imagery matters
When students can create a clear mental picture, that image may help them understand, organize and remember new information. This is all helpful for their learning.

But research suggests students with weak mental imagery may need to work harder and may not experience these benefits to the same extent.

This can sometimes show up as students taking longer to understand new ideas or needing more support to remember what they have learned.

Instead of relying on mental images, they may have to process information in other ways—through words, logic, memorization or repeated rehearsal. This can increase what psychologists call cognitive load, or the amount of mental effort required to learn something new.

How can you tell if your child struggles here?
Children with weak mental imagery may be less likely to report "seeing pictures in their mind" when reading stories, recalling past events or imagining future situations.

They may rely more on verbal descriptions, facts or step-by-step reasoning than on visualization strategies.

This is not uncommon. In our study, we estimated about 10% of students had "no" or "dim" mental imagery. About 30% reported their mental imagery was only "somewhat" vivid.