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Vividness of Visual Imagery Questionnaire

This pre-configured paradigm lets you collect data using the Vividness of Visual Imagery Questionnaire (VVIQ) - a widely validated self-report measure for assessing individual differences in visual imagery vividness. With this "preset", you can quickly run the VVIQ online in your Meadows experiment and gather data about participants' mental imagery abilities.

The questionnaire asks participants to form mental images of specific scenes and rate how vivid or clear these images are on a 5-point scale. It has been extensively used in cognitive psychology, neuroscience, and clinical research, and has proven reliable across diverse populations. This page explains how to use the preset, what data you'll collect, and how to analyze your results.

Quick Start

  1. Create or open an experiment from your Dashboard
  2. Click Add pre-configured tasks
  3. Choose "VVIQ - Vividness of Visual Imagery Questionnaire"
  4. Preview your experiment

New to Meadows? See the Getting Started guide for a complete walkthrough.

Background

The VVIQ was developed by British psychologist David Marks in 1973 as a measure of individual differences in visual imagery1. The questionnaire consists of 16 items organized into four groups, each focusing on a different type of imagery:

  1. A familiar person
  2. A rising sun
  3. A shop front
  4. A country scene

For each theme, participants first read instructions to imagine a specific scene, then rate the vividness of four specific details within that scene. The ratings range from "No image at all" to "Perfectly clear and as vivid as normal vision."

The VVIQ has proven to be a reliable and valid measure of visual imagery vividness2. Research has shown that VVIQ scores correlate with various cognitive abilities, neural activation patterns during imagery tasks, and performance on visual memory tasks. The questionnaire is also used to identify individuals with aphantasia (absent visual imagery) and hyperphantasia (extremely vivid imagery).

Test Structure

The preset includes nine tasks that together comprise the complete VVIQ. Participants typically complete the full questionnaire in 5-8 minutes.

  1. Initial Instruction - Explains that there are no right or wrong answers
  2. Person Theme - Instructions and 4 rating items about imagining a familiar person
  3. Sky Theme - Instructions and 4 rating items about imagining a rising sun
  4. Shop Theme - Instructions and 4 rating items about imagining a shop front
  5. Landscape Theme - Instructions and 4 rating items about imagining a country scene

Tasks Included

This preset contains the following tasks:

Task Name Task Type Description
vviq_initial_instruction info Opening instructions about the task
vviq_person_instruction info Instructions for person imagery theme
vviq_person_form dynform 4 rating items for person imagery
vviq_sky_instruction info Instructions for rising sun imagery theme
vviq_sky_form dynform 4 rating items for sky imagery
vviq_shop_instruction info Instructions for shop front imagery theme
vviq_shop_form dynform 4 rating items for shop imagery
vviq_landscape_instruction info Instructions for landscape imagery theme
vviq_landscape_form dynform 4 rating items for landscape imagery

Sample Stimuli

Participants are presented with instructions to imagine a scene, followed by specific items to rate. Here are examples from the "sky" theme:

Instruction:

Visualize a rising sun. Consider carefully the picture that comes before your mind's eye.

Sample Items to Rate:

  1. The sun is rising above the horizon into a hazy sky.
  2. The sky clears and surrounds the sun with blueness.
  3. Clouds. A storm blows up, with flashes of lightning.
  4. A rainbow appears.

Response Options

Each of the 16 items uses the same 5-point rating scale:

Rating Description
1 No image at all (only "knowing" that you are thinking of the object)
2 Vague and dim
3 Moderately clear and vivid
4 Clear and reasonably vivid
5 Perfectly clear and as vivid as normal vision

Data

For general information about the various structures and file formats that you can download for your data see Downloads.

The dynform tasks in this preset can be downloaded in Table format, one task at a time, with all participants. Each form task will have columns for each questionnaire item:

  • Person form (vviq_person_form): person_0, person_1, person_2, person_3 - Ratings for person imagery items (1-5)
  • Sky form (vviq_sky_form): sky_0, sky_1, sky_2, sky_3 - Ratings for sky imagery items (1-5)
  • Shop form (vviq_shop_form): shop_0, shop_1, shop_2, shop_3 - Ratings for shop imagery items (1-5)
  • Landscape form (vviq_landscape_form): landscape_0, landscape_1, landscape_2, landscape_3 - Ratings for landscape imagery items (1-5)

Analysis

Scoring the VVIQ

The VVIQ is scored by summing all 16 item ratings. Scores can range from 16 to 80.

In Google Sheets or Microsoft Excel, you can score the VVIQ:

  1. Load Data: Download each of the four dynform tasks in Table format (with all participants) from Meadows, then import each file into your spreadsheet application.

  2. Identify Item Columns: Find the columns containing the ratings (e.g., person_0, person_1, person_2, person_3).

  3. Sum Theme Scores: For each theme, sum the 4 item ratings: 

    =SUM(B2:E2)
    (Adjust column letters based on your data structure)

  4. Calculate Total Score: Sum all 16 items across the four themes: 

    =SUM([all item columns])

  5. Interpret: Compare the total score to the ranges in the interpretation table below.

import pandas as pd
import numpy as np

# Load the Table format data files for each dynform task
# Download each task separately from Meadows in Table format (with all participants)
person_df = pd.read_csv('Meadows_myExperiment_v1_vviq_person_form_table.csv')
sky_df = pd.read_csv('Meadows_myExperiment_v1_vviq_sky_form_table.csv')
shop_df = pd.read_csv('Meadows_myExperiment_v1_vviq_shop_form_table.csv')
landscape_df = pd.read_csv('Meadows_myExperiment_v1_vviq_landscape_form_table.csv')

# Extract item columns (assuming they're named person_0, person_1, etc.)
person_items = [f'person_{i}' for i in range(4)]
sky_items = [f'sky_{i}' for i in range(4)]
shop_items = [f'shop_{i}' for i in range(4)]
landscape_items = [f'landscape_{i}' for i in range(4)]

# Calculate total score
# Note: Response options are ordered from 1-5, with 1 = no image, 5 = vivid
# Total score is sum of all 16 items
total_score = (
    person_df[person_items].sum(axis=1) +
    sky_df[sky_items].sum(axis=1) +
    shop_df[shop_items].sum(axis=1) +
    landscape_df[landscape_items].sum(axis=1)
)

print(f"VVIQ Total Score: {total_score.values[0]}")
print(f"Score Range: 16-80")
print(f"Higher scores indicate more vivid imagery")

# Calculate theme subscores
person_score = person_df[person_items].sum(axis=1).values[0]
sky_score = sky_df[sky_items].sum(axis=1).values[0]
shop_score = shop_df[shop_items].sum(axis=1).values[0]
landscape_score = landscape_df[landscape_items].sum(axis=1).values[0]

print(f"\nTheme Subscores:")
print(f"Person: {person_score}/20")
print(f"Sky: {sky_score}/20")
print(f"Shop: {shop_score}/20")
print(f"Landscape: {landscape_score}/20")

library(tidyverse)

# Load the Table format data files for each dynform task
# Download each task separately from Meadows in Table format (with all participants)
person_df <- read_csv('Meadows_myExperiment_v1_vviq_person_form_table.csv')
sky_df <- read_csv('Meadows_myExperiment_v1_vviq_sky_form_table.csv')
shop_df <- read_csv('Meadows_myExperiment_v1_vviq_shop_form_table.csv')
landscape_df <- read_csv('Meadows_myExperiment_v1_vviq_landscape_form_table.csv')

# Calculate subscores
person_score <- rowSums(person_df[, grepl("^person_", names(person_df))])
sky_score <- rowSums(sky_df[, grepl("^sky_", names(sky_df))])
shop_score <- rowSums(shop_df[, grepl("^shop_", names(shop_df))])
landscape_score <- rowSums(landscape_df[, grepl("^landscape_", names(landscape_df))])

# Total score
total_score <- person_score + sky_score + shop_score + landscape_score

# Create results dataframe
results <- data.frame(
  total_score = total_score,
  person_score = person_score,
  sky_score = sky_score,
  shop_score = shop_score,
  landscape_score = landscape_score
)

print(results)

Interpreting Scores

VVIQ scores provide insight into visual imagery vividness:

Score Range Imagery Level Description
16-32 Low vividness May indicate aphantasia (absent/weak visual imagery)
33-48 Below average Less vivid imagery than typical
49-64 Average Typical visual imagery vividness
65-75 Above average More vivid imagery than typical
76-80 Very high vividness May indicate hyperphantasia (extremely vivid imagery)

Individual Variation

Visual imagery vividness varies considerably across individuals, and all levels are normal. Low scores do not indicate cognitive impairment, and high scores do not necessarily indicate superior cognitive abilities.

References

  1. Marks, D. F. (1973). Visual imagery differences in the recall of pictures. British Journal of Psychology, 64(1), 17–24. doi:10.1111/j.2044-8295.1973.tb01322.x ↩

  2. McKelvie, S. J. (1995). The VVIQ as a psychometric test of individual differences in visual imagery vividness: A critical quantitative review and plea for direction. Journal of Mental Imagery, 19(3-4), 1–106. ↩