Do students with strong visual imagery get better grades?

Research links stronger visual imagery ability to better performance on visual working memory tasks and sometimes to better recall. That doesn't mean low imagery means worse grades—students with aphantasia or low visual imagery often excel using verbal, spatial, or motor strategies. Matching study methods to your imagery profile matters more than having one 'best' type of imagery.

What is the method of loci?

The method of loci (memory palace) uses mental images of familiar places and places to-be-remembered items along a route. When you need to recall, you 'walk' the route and retrieve each item. Structured training that includes this kind of reverse-order recollection has shown lasting benefits in youth when practiced regularly.

Can imagery reduce false memories when studying?

Yes. Studies show that creating detailed, distinctive mental images during encoding can reduce false recall and false recognition compared with simple rehearsal. The key is detailed, item-specific imagery rather than vague visualization—which also helps filter out related but incorrect items on tests.

2026-02-26

Mental Imagery for Students: Study and Recall

Students are constantly encoding and retrieving information—facts, procedures, concepts. How you do that depends in part on your imagery profile: whether you lean on visual, auditory, or motor imagination, or on words and structure. Research shows that mental imagery can significantly support learning and memory when it's used in structured ways—and that different students benefit from different strategies depending on how they imagine. This post summarizes what the evidence says and how you can apply it, whether your mind's eye is strong, weak, or somewhere in between.

How Imagery Supports Memory: Three Mechanisms

Peer-reviewed work points to several ways imagery helps students remember.

Dual Coding

When you form a mental image of a word or concept, you encode it in more than one way: both a verbal trace and a pictorial one. That dual coding can improve retention and recall compared with verbal rehearsal alone. The benefit is especially clear for concrete, imageable material—and in some studies the effect of mental imagery on memory is comparable to actually viewing pictures. So "seeing it in your mind" isn't just a metaphor; it can add a second memory pathway. More on that in how imagination affects memory and learning.

Depth of Processing

Imagery usually requires more effortful, elaborate processing than passive rereading or simple repetition. That deeper engagement strengthens memory traces. In experiments, students who were instructed to create mental images of to-be-remembered material often showed better explicit recall than controls who used mental rehearsal without imagery. So imagery isn't only about adding a visual channel—it also pushes you to process the material more deeply.

Embodied and Motor Imagery

Encoding isn't only visual. Research shows a memory-efficiency gradient: first-person motor imagery (imagining yourself doing the action) often leads to the best recall, followed by visual imagery, then third-person motor imagery, then verbal rehearsal alone. In other words, the more you "feel" the action or scenario in your body, the stronger the memory can be. That fits with why motor imagination matters for skills—and suggests that students who find it easier to imagine doing something (e.g. a procedure or a movement) may benefit from leaning on that sense when studying.

Imagery-Based Training: What Lasts

Structured programs that teach students to use imagery for learning have shown lasting effects. In one Mental-Imagery-Based Mnemonic Training (MIBMT) study, youth aged 10–16 completed an 8-day program that combined mindfulness, mental imagery conversion (turning material into images), and reverse-order recollection (similar in spirit to the method of loci—placing items along a mental route and retrieving them in order). Trained students showed significant gains in long-term memory that persisted for up to a year, with stronger benefits when they used the strategies more often. Parents reported successful use for academic content such as languages and music, and there was some suggestion of improvements in concentration and math. So imagery-based strategies aren't just a lab trick; when taught and practiced, they can stick and transfer to real coursework.

Imagery Ability and Academic Performance

Individual differences in imagery matter. Students with stronger visual imagery tend to do better on visual working memory tasks, even when the material is verbal—suggesting they spontaneously use imagery to support retention. When experimenters disrupt visual imagery (e.g. with competing visual load), people with strong imagery show bigger drops in performance; those with weaker imagery are less affected. That supports the idea that imagery is functionally involved in how strong visualizers remember. It does not mean that students with low or no visual imagery (aphantasia) are worse at school. They often excel using other channels: verbal organization, outlines, auditory rehearsal, or motor and procedural practice. The takeaway is to match strategies to your profile, not to assume one size fits all.

Reducing False Memories

Imagery can do more than boost correct recall—it can reduce false memories. In studies using related word lists (e.g. conceptually similar or rhyming), students who were instructed to create visual images recalled more words correctly and made fewer errors than those using standard strategies. The catch: detailed, distinctive images work better than vague ones. For recognition-based tests (e.g. multiple choice over related concepts), simple "just visualize" instructions may not be enough; item-specific, distinctive imagery helps separate correct memories from related lures. So when you use imagery for study, aim for clear, concrete images that are unique to each piece of information.

Practical Takeaways for Students and Educators

Use imagery when it fits. If you have strong visual imagination, build mental pictures of concepts, scenes, or steps. If you have strong motor imagination, imagine doing the procedure. If your visual imagery is low, lean on verbal structure, spoken rehearsal, or hands-on practice—creativity and learning don't require a vivid mind's eye.
Prefer detailed, distinctive images. When you do use imagery, make it specific and unique to each item rather than generic. That supports both accurate recall and fewer false memories.
Consider method of loci (memory palace). Placing items along a familiar route and "walking" it at recall is a form of imagery that shows up in effective training programs. It works best with regular practice.
Combine with other techniques. Programs that pair imagery with mindfulness or attention training often show stronger or more sustained benefits than imagery alone.
Know your profile. If you're unsure how you imagine across senses, a structured assessment can clarify where you're strong—and where to double down (or not) on imagery-based study.

See Your Imagery Profile

The Imagination Index assessment measures visual, auditory, motor, and other senses in one profile. Students and educators can use it to choose study strategies that align with how they (or their students) actually imagine. The core assessment is free and takes about 12 minutes.

Further reading: MIBMT and long-term memory in youth – PMC; Dual coding, depth of processing, embodied cognition – Imagine (UCSB); Imagery ability and working memory – PMC; Imagery and false memory – GSU.