How do you visualize when reading

[Apache]

When reading are you visualizing the action or are you seeing the words?
When I am reading I see the action in my mind. I am oblivious to what is actually going on around me.
I am interested in how others read and what they perceive. I am not trying to judge people. I am genuinely interested in how others read. Is there another way of perceiving the action than just these two?
Apache

[DuskyRose]

Originally Posted by Apache

When reading are you visualizing the action or are you seeing the words?
When I am reading I see the action in my mind. I am oblivious to what is actually going on around me.

I'm the same way. With a well written book I see the action as a video in my head. If I hit a 'glitch' such as really bad grammar, misspelled words, or something not consistent with that universe than I find myself thrown out of the story and have to stop to check what the problem was. It happens even with the best of books sometimes, but is really annoying when it happens a lot. It's like having the video freeze up until I get past it.

On a book I'm really enjoying, I don't really remember seeing the pages.

My Dear Hubby doesn't read for pleasure, but loves audio books. I find I lose interest in audio books quickly, and I think part of that is that listening to the action is too slow to get my 'video' going on in my head. So I tend to drift off unless I'm multi-tasking (cleaning or such). But then I lose track of the story.

Hubby says he can't even fathom seeing the action in his head. He just hears it all.

[AlbertaCowboy]

Originally Posted by DuskyRose

I'm the same way. With a well written book I see the action as a video in my head. If I hit a 'glitch' such as really bad grammar, misspelled words, or something not consistent with that universe than I find myself thrown out of the story and have to stop to check what the problem was. It happens even with the best of books sometimes, but is really annoying when it happens a lot. It's like having the video freeze up until I get past it.

On a book I'm really enjoying, I don't really remember seeing the pages.

.

This sums up my own experience nicely as well.

[Katsunami]

I described this process somewhat more lenghty in a thread around this same time last year.

I'm a visual reader and thinker, even when doing things such as math or programming. I see basically everything as an image in my mind.

Originally Posted by DuskyRose

I'm the same way. With a well written book I see the action as a video in my head. If I hit a 'glitch' such as really bad grammar, misspelled words, or something not consistent with that universe than I find myself thrown out of the story and have to stop to check what the problem was. It happens even with the best of books sometimes, but is really annoying when it happens a lot. It's like having the video freeze up until I get past it.

On a book I'm really enjoying, I don't really remember seeing the pages.

Same for me, but I sometimes "pause" the video to "look" at landscapes or characters. When playing a video game, I'm known to pause the game to do the same.

[dickloraine]

I never see images if I read. I just read the text without any visualization. I read quite fast too. I did knew that there are people who see a movie in their head, if they read. I always wondered, if they read slower, faster or about the same. Another interesting question would be, if there a differences in how people remember and understand books this different ways.

And if the question is allowed, how are you reading scientific texts? Would be interesting too know, since my experience is so different.

[DuskyRose]

Originally Posted by dickloraine

I always wondered, if they read slower, faster or about the same.

I think I read up on the higher end. IIRC there was the Staples test where I read 418 wpm according to that test.

I do suspect I read faster when I'm really interested in a story, rather than just reading something random.

Books I don't like take forever until I bail. Books I enjoy end too quickly.

Originally Posted by dickloraine

Another interesting question would be, if there a differences in how people remember and understand books this different ways.

I don't know, but I doubt that there's much difference. Hubby and I can talk about the same books, plot line, back story, character traits and such from a book I've read and one he's listened to and still seem to have 'read' the same thing.

I'm not saying it's all the same, but I think it's just different ways of processing the same information.

Originally Posted by dickloraine

And if the question is allowed, how are you reading scientific texts? Would be interesting too know, since my experience is so different.

I read them totally differently. I 'hear' them in my head at a slower speed. Probably because I'm trying to actually learn something (Upgrade my firmware. ) rather than just 'experience' something that I may or may not remember all the details of once I put it down.

[sharphamster]

I hear the words mostly, though some well-put descriptive passages will give me a visual. Some action, mostly landscapes and architecture. I don't get visuals about characters, unless they are robots or balrogs or sea monsters. And those look very Harryhausen in my mind's eye.

Barbara Stanwyck and Bogie do a lot of my mental voices, for some reason. Too many B&W movies, I expect.

[crich70]

I think it's a bit of 1 and 2 mixed together. I see the words on the page and images appear in my mind as a result.

[peachiekene]

Originally Posted by sharphamster

I hear the words mostly, though some well-put descriptive passages will give me a visual. Some action, mostly landscapes and architecture. I don't get visuals about characters, unless they are robots or balrogs or sea monsters. And those look very Harryhausen in my mind's eye.

Barbara Stanwyck and Bogie do a lot of my mental voices, for some reason. Too many B&W movies, I expect.

I wasn't sure how to put it in words, but this is exactly what happens with me. I can't really "see" without closing my eyes and I can't read with my eyes closed. Maybe I should try audiobooks and see how they do?

A good book/well described book will actually enter into my dreams pretty much as described.
While this can be lovely, there are definitely bad moments... such as when I was reading The Green Mile and Hannibal. The books themselves didn't scare me, but I had several nightmares from those two.

[fjtorres]

Originally Posted by sharphamster

I hear the words mostly...

That's me.
Reading for me is an audiobook where the reader is my inner voice.

I figure it's because I'm so left-brained my left arm is pretty much just a counterweight.

[tompe]

Very little visualization. I usually get bored with extended action scenes both in books and films.

[Katsunami]

Originally Posted by tompe

Very little visualization. I usually get bored with extended action scenes both in books and films.

That is certainly true. There are way too many movies that just keep going in one long incredibly unbroken explosion, moving from scene to scene, so that no-one has a chance to take a breath... it is really quite annoying.

[Marcus365]

I visualize the sequence of events as I read them. That's how I rank the books I read. If I'm reading a novel but I can't identify with the characters and get lost in the story or place myself in the character's shoes then I won't like it...I'll lose interest quickly. This was a good question...one I wondered about.

[arjaybe]

I hear the narrator, with my own voice. I tend to "read out loud" in my mind. I also visualize the story from the given POV.

When I'm composing a scene I visualize it, often projecting it into the room. When I'm writing it, the scene and characters are all around the words and paper.

[4691mls]

I think I mostly read the words. I do usually have a mental picture of the characters' appearance, houses, etc. That said, I read fairly quickly, and if the descriptive passages are too long, I tend to skim them, so it is possible my mental pictures are not entirely as the author intended