Eye movements during visual imagery have a functional role and are related to individual differences in spatial imagery ability

This study investigated eye movements during visual imagery, under two experimental conditions. Participants recalled complex pictures from memory while looking at a blank screen under a condition of free viewing and under a condition where fixation was maintained in the centre of the screen. The recall task was to orally describe the picture. Results showed that, under the condition of free viewing, eye movements spread out and closely reflected content and spatial information from the recalled picture. However, the degree and amplitude of this effect varied among individuals and had a negative correlation with spatial imagery ability. Maintaining central fixation during recall affected and impaired pictorial recall. Descriptions focused significantly more on global and general aspects of the picture than on specific elements and spatial relations, when compared with the free viewing condition. These findings have important implications for visuo-spatial reasoning, mental models and spatial cognition in general