Voluntary imagery

Voluntary imagery is mental imagery you can generate and direct deliberately—when you choose to picture a scene, hear a tune in your head, or imagine a movement. It is distinct from involuntary imagery, such as earworms (a song that gets stuck without you choosing it) or intrusive images. The Imagination Index measures voluntary imagery: the items ask you to imagine something (e.g. an apple, a melody, a texture) and rate how clear or vivid it feels. So your linear score and percentile score for each category reflect your voluntary imagery in that sense. You can have strong voluntary auditory imagery but few earworms, or frequent earworms but weak voluntary control—which is why the assessment focuses on what you can summon when you try.