This is more of me trying to understand how people imagine things, as I almost certainly have Aphantasia and didn’t realize until recently… If this is against community rules, please do let me know.

The original thought experiment was from the Aphantasia subreddit. Link: https://www.reddit.com/r/Aphantasia/comments/g1e6bl/ball_on_a_table_visualization_experiment_2/

Thought experiment begins below.

Try this: Visualise (picture, imagine, whatever you want to call it) a ball on a table. Now imagine someone walks up to the table, and gives the ball a push. What happens to the ball?

Once you're done with the above, click to review the test questions:
  • What color was the ball?
  • What gender was the person that pushed the ball?
  • What did they look like?
  • What size is the ball? Like a marble, or a baseball, or a basketball, or something else?
  • What about the table, what shape was it? What is it made of?

And now the important question: Did you already know, or did you have to choose a color/gender/size, etc. after being asked these questions?

  • partial_accumen
    1•2 hours ago

    Just as an exploration with you on this. Use your same instructions for the placing and actions with one difference.

    The room is pitch black, and you can’t see a thing.

    What do you hear?

    Click for review questions:
    • what did the steps of the person sound like? Can you tell what kind of shoes they have with “heal/toe” impact sounds? single thumps indicating flat footfalls? nothing?
    • how long were they walking before they got to the table?
    • Did the ball make any sound as it rolled on the table? What kind of sounds? What kind of table would make that sound?
    • When the ball hit the floor did it bounce or fall flat? Was there an echo? Did the sound of the fall indicate you’re in a tiny room or a giant room?
    • How close was the person to your point of observation?
    • Could you hear the person breathing?
    • What else did you hear that I didn’t include here?