Thinking in pictures

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Research with NLP has confirmed that the majority of our species are visual processors, thinking in pictures rather than words.

Many (perhaps most) with AS seem to struggle more with verbal communication than NTs.


BUT I only just realised how dependent I actually am on pictures.


During a recent business meeting I was in the middle of drawing a picture to help me explain something when I was (politely) asked to stop using pictures.

Most of my professional work involves communicating verbally, either one on one or in small groups and I cope quite well.

BUT having pictures excluded from my tool box felt like I had both my hands tied behind my back.

I adapted by speaking much, much slower and seeking confirmation of each point as we proceeded.


I had always thought up until then that pictures were a good way of helping OTHER people to understand.

Now I can see how vitally important pictures are for ME when I am communicating with people.

How about you?

Really, you were asked to stop? That's so weird. XD; I always thought pictures were a great communication tool too.. but I'm in a visual industry. What kind of work do you do? (Out of curiosity about what kind of people object to picture examples..)
Most of the people I know do communicate with pictures, but a lot of them are artists.
When I'm looking for books on certain subjects or instructions/tutorials/recipes, if I find one without pictures, I won't even give it a second glance. And for some types of things (once I find a guide with decent pictures) I don't even read the words at all. Some of the books I've gotten the most use out of, I probably haven't even read a full paragraph in.

Last edited by wigglyspider on 04 Nov 2009, 4:06 am, edited 2 times in total.

I would be lost - literally! - without pictures. I cannot follow verbal directions - I need to have a map to look at.

Now that you mention it, when someone starts to give me verbal directions, my instinct is to tell them to 'shut the **ck up'.

Instead I fake it and take notes if I am lucky enough to have something to write with...... or sometimes just walk away.

Perhaps this is a social 'skill' that I have overlooked.

If someone starts to give me verbal instructions I DO tell them to stop, and then get out some paper to write it down. Especially with phone numbers - there is zero chance I'm going to remember it, I have to write it down.

I'm another visual thinker. I see everything in my mind as pictures and colours and I translate what I see into words. Sometimes I need to think a while to come up with the correct translation.

I think in pictures. I remember things by imagining diagrams, pictures, places, photos etc.

I have difficulty with instructions. They need to be clear and not vague. I don't need to use pictures, I make them in my head from words.

I would be lost without pencil and paper. I am primarily a mathematical symbolizer and I need a paper and writing instrument (or its equivalent) to see what I am doing.

I am more of a word man than a pictorial being. 2-D abstract schemata are my favorite medium.

ruveyn

Just use your hands. Pretend youre acting out the drawings in the air as you talk. Thats what i would do

That could be auditory processing disorder which I know a bit about, having been recently diagnosed with it... I think its a subtype called "Tolerance Fading Memory" and basically means you have poor working auditory memory. As long as your visual memory is fine, it *could* be a CAP thing. Of course you may already know this

That's the title of one of Temple Grandin's book, "Thinking in Pictures." if you want to purchase this book written by Temple Grandin and any other books that she has written, then go to her website: http://www.Grandin.com

I'm a visual thinker and I also need to have directions written out. I was suprised when I discovered that most people think in words.

Nice to see you again Zsazsa,

Wow!

Just checked out her website and I am buying the book.

Thanks

My thinking is about half pictures half words I think, but since I'm blind actual pictures don't work for me in communication. I hate it when a speaker is unable to make their point without a picture 9I don't midn pictures of course, but if you can't understand thepoint without the picture). My phonetics professor at university was like that.

I don't know about thinking in pictures.

I do tend to think by observing the situation (the physical environment) and mulling it over alone to myself. I tend to think in terms of what I can see. Is that thinking visually?


I've seen a lot of 'normal' people who seem to think by talking with people. They seem to think in terms of socially interacting rather than by passively observing. They see other people as 'human resources' to use. I think that they view the world as lots of people to connect with and in doing so sometimes miss the physical details. I think that they form a sort of connected 'neural network' with their friends in a close knit group. They think by forming social connections: that's their world . They probably think more in terms of connecting with others and sharing information. They also seem alarmed, in awe and/or confused when they find others who don't think like they do (in terms of connecting). They think in terms of how they fit in relative to other people. It's a relative method of thinking.


I seem to think in terms of observing the physical environment and hoarding information. I seem to try and get by in the world by hoarding as much information as I can extract from the physical environment. I cache information to store for use later. I collect information and objects, not people. It's a more absolute method of thinking. I think in terms of what I can see rather than how I should appear to others, or what I can get out of other people. I do care about others, but it's in a deeper, more general way.


This is why I think that there are two learning styles:

-Observation

-Social Interaction


I am much stronger on learning by observing than I am at learning by socially interacting.

I think that the observing style would be more in terms of pictures and sensory experiences.
The social interaction style would be more verbalised. Talking with people requires verbalisation of thoughts.

I believe that there are balanced people who can do both styles to some extent and can switch between viewing the social and physical environments easily. My mind often seems to get stuck in observing the physical environment at the expense of interacting with the social environment.


When 'normal' people look out of the window, I think they see other people and their status/connections relative to them. Some people might be socially curious and want to find out things and connect with the other people. The physical environment would be the 'backdrop'.

When I look out of the window, I see the physical details first with the people just happening to be there in the background.

Last edited by AmberEyes on 04 Nov 2009, 10:14 am, edited 2 times in total.

Classes are actually quite difficult for me as I learn primarily from written words or pictures. It must be visual in some form.
I have gotten to the point where I try to write down everything the teacher says so I can look at it later and learn it then.
Because I deal with words like they are mini-pictures for my brain and I cannot absorb anything orally.
One of the reasons I hate the phone so much is that I simply can't process what is happening because of a lack of visuals. Do you guys hate the phone too?