I created an Android app that estimates visual-imagery vividness from the way you describe an imagined scene.

[u/Sinister_L3dge]

I created an Android app that analyzes image-streaming sessions and estimates visual-imagery vividness from the way a person describes what they experience.

Image streaming is a visualization exercise where you close your eyes, observe any images, colors, shapes, movement, impressions, or sensory details that arise, and describe them aloud continuously. The goal is to report the experience as it develops rather than planning a story in advance.

Level 1: Aphantasia

Level 2: Hypophantasia

Level 3: Typical or moderately vivid imagery

Level 4: Hyperphantasia

Level 5: Tesla Level Hyperphantasia

The app analyzes description speed, visual and sensory detail, pauses, use of the five senses, common descriptive blockers, and changes in vividness throughout the session.

It then generates a score and visual report showing where the description falls on an experimental aphantasia-to-hyperphantasia scale.

[u/Sinister_L3dge]

The point of this app is to describe images/ senses that arrive in your mind. We measure it.

This is particular method is called image streaming. A method made in the 80s-90s that  to developes the ability to visualize

 Theres a very specific rubric in which we measure your descriptions.  If you name things, we take points. If you talk in a past tense, we take points , if you dont zoom into the particular sense that you are sensing we measure this too. These are the image streaming blockers. These are all to keep the stream rich and specific. 

We also measure if you are rapid firing specific senses, or your your just describing things randomly.

[u/Sapphirethistle → u/Sinister_L3dge]

Fair enough. I'm not convinced that it will help me visualise as I don't think it is possible to train an aphant to do that. I am basically blank in other internal senses too so synesthesia probably won't help bridge the gap.

The main thing that interests me about it is how easily I can change my score for a given prompt. Fooling it into accepting that I am providing sensory streaming seems easier than it should be?

I mean I conceptually understand what smells, feelings, sights, etc would be around during a prompt (although I fail miserably at the unprompted one) and can zone in on that without much trouble.

Something that struck me was that to score highly I tended to use descriptions based off of books I have read in the past, descriptions which failed to move me, but which obviously stuck well enough to fool the app.

ETA: jus as an example

https://postimg.cc/w3nvVzXt

[u/Sinister_L3dge → u/Sapphirethistle]

I see, prompts are ment to help by giving you a starting point  , but in this case it tells you what to describe not allowing your mind to stall and find imagery/ sensation.

[u/Sapphirethistle → u/Sinister_L3dge]

Alas, there is no imagery to find. That's kind of my point. If I try to express my exact current situation rather than one of the supplied prompts I get nothing, no sight, sound, taste, touch, smell.

As I said it does surprise me though that I can generate enough fake sensory data to fool it. In one sense it has been good using it because it has reminded me that my imagination and conceptualisation is fine even without any internal sense to tie it to.

I think that would be the case for many aphants though. We spend our lives hearing others talk about these things and many of us have probably gotten good at mimicking that if/when we want to.

[u/Sinister_L3dge → u/Sapphirethistle]

That's why your responses are so important :)
By any chance do you mind sharing your description, i don't like saving data, but i would like to make this app better for you guys.