Aphantasia, dysikonesia, anauralia: call for a single term for the lack of mental imagery – Commentary on Dance et al. (2021) and Hinwar and Lambert (2021)

Monzel, M., Mitchell, D., Macpherson, F. , Pearson, J. and Zeman, A. (2022) Aphantasia, dysikonesia, anauralia: call for a single term for the lack of mental imagery – Commentary on Dance et al. (2021) and Hinwar and Lambert (2021). Cortex, 150, pp. 149-152. (doi: 10.1016/j.cortex.2022.02.002)

Abstract

Recently, the term ‘aphantasia’ has become current in scientific and public discourse to denote the absence of mental imagery. However, new terms for aphantasia or its subgroups have recently been proposed, e.g. ‘dysikonesia’ or ‘anauralia’, which complicates the literature, research communication and understanding for the general public. Before further terms emerge, we advocate the consistent use of the term ‘aphantasia’ as it can be used flexibly and precisely, and is already widely known in the scientific community and among the general public.

• Item Type: Articles
• Status: Published
• Refereed: Yes
• Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: Macpherson, Professor Fiona

Creator Roles

Macpherson, F.: Writing – review and editing

• Authors: Monzel, M., Mitchell, D., Macpherson, F., Pearson, J., and Zeman, A.
• College/School: College of Arts & Humanities > School of Humanities > Philosophy
• Journal Name: Cortex
• Publisher: Elsevier
• ISSN: 0010-9452
• ISSN (Online): 1973-8102
• Published Online: 26 February 2022
• Copyright Holders: Copyright © 2022 Elsevier Ltd.
• First Published: First published in Cortex 150: 149-152
• Publisher Policy: Reproduced in accordance with the publisher copyright policy