Thinking in pictures?

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I have been reading a bit about "thinking in pictures" but I'm a bit confused because dosent everyone picture things in their head?

Whats the difference between thinking in pictures and just normally picturing things?

I think that in relation to ASDs it's more about being less verbal because of difficulties explaining the thought process that is based on visuals.

that, an associative thinking that influences your choice of words.

So thats why Aspies find it hard to describe things? Makes sense, I'm like that too.

What I want to know, though, is what seperates someone who thinks in pictures from someone who pictures things in their head like normal?

I would like to know this too. I wonder if it has to do with the difference between thinking in pictures and hearing a voice talking in your head when you think? When I was younger I always had tons of pictures flying around in my head and it was hard to focus on just one to be able to tell you what I was seeing. Now I don't see the pictures as much anymore, I just hear myself speaking in my head when I think and its alot easier to explain what I am thinking.

it's such a subjective thing that I'm not sure it can be fully understood...

my NT friend has the same thing as me with having to picture numbers in order to comprehend them. she's also a visual learner and often short of words to describe a mental image.

but unlike me, she's very bad with remembering her surroundings and changes to the surroundings- for me they just jump out. so I guess there must be some difference...

it's hard to describe one's mental process, I wish there was a simulator for those things or somenthing ;p

^^I'm pretty sure a brain scan reveals which part of the brain you use when thinking

Seems like no one knows then!

I think I think in pictures (not just picture things like normal) because I always been to have pictures in my head and I can't think in just words, it always needs to be in a picture.

Also someone said to me today that they had to concentrate for a bit to picture stuff in their head and I certainly don't.

Right, but even then, you're still assuming that the person is judging & describing accurately the way they're thinking.

& visual thinking is part of the diagnostic criteria isn't it? but a brain scan doesn't form part of the actual process of diagnosis, does it?

Maybe it isn't that big a deal, & there's not much problematic with just asking someone to describe their thought processes.

I read somewhere that some strong visual thinkers lack the Sylvian Fissure (I konw Einstein did) and that's pretty easy to spot.

there are many kinds of ASDs, visual thinking is only typical of one kind, some autistics think in abstract mathematics/music more and some are extremely verbal and do hardly any visual thinking.

I think in both but visuals come more naturally and with a strong auditory input.

^^google it!

Some people here are so unfriendly.


Temple's thinking is different than other peoples. She has explained in her book what people picture but she pictures everything she has seen before while people will picture one thing.

there you go doode: