Visual thinking, also called visual/spatial learning or picture thinking is the phenomenon of thinking through visual processing.[1]
Visual thinking has been described as seeing words as a series of pictures.[citation needed] It is common in approximately 60–65% of the general population.[1]
"Real picture thinkers", those persons who use visual thinking almost to the exclusion of other kinds of thinking, make up a smaller percentage of the population. Research by child development theorist Linda Kreger Silverman suggests that less than 30% of the population strongly uses visual/spatial thinking, another 45% uses both visual/spatial thinking and thinking in the form of words, and 25% thinks exclusively in words. According to Kreger Silverman, of the 30% of the general population who use visual/spatial thinking, only a small percentage would use this style over and above all other forms of thinking, and can be said to be true "picture thinkers".[2]
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Research and theoretical background[edit]
The Dutch nonprofit organization the "Maria J. Krabbe Stichting Beelddenken" conducts research on "beelddenken".[3] The "Maria J. Krabbe Stichting" has developed a test, named the "Ojemann wereldspel", to identify children who rely primarily on visual-spatial thinking. In this test, children are asked to build a village with toy houses and then replicate it a few days later.[citation needed]
In the Netherlands, there is a strong and growing interest in the phenomenon of 'true' "picture thinking", or "beelddenken".[citation needed] As a result of increased media coverage during the last few years, there is an acceptance of its existence by the general public,[citation needed] despite criticism from Dutch psychologists and development theorists, principally N. van Woerden and R. Wiers.[citation needed] Several websites and foundations are dedicated to "beelddenken".[4][5]
Art and design education[edit]
Concepts related to visual thinking have played an important role in art and design education over the past several decades, but this has not always been the case.[13] In Ancient Greece, Plato tended to place an emphasis on music to aid cognition in the education of heroes because of its mathematical tendencies and "harmonies of the cosmos". On the other hand, visual images, paintings in particular, caused the reliances on "illusionary images"[14] However, in the Western world, children begin primary school with abstract thought and shapes, but as we grow older, according to Rudolf Arnheim, "arts are reduced to a desirable supplement"[14] The general world trend in the late twentieth century caused an emphases towards scientific, mathematical, and quantitative approach to education, and art education is often refuted because it is based on perception. It is qualitative and subjective which makes it difficult to measure and evaluate.
However, fundamentals in visual thinking lay the ground work for many design disciplines such as art and architecture. Two of the most influential aspects of visual composition in these disciplines are patterns and color. Patterns are not only prevalent in many different aspects of everyday life, but it is also telling about our interpretation of the world. In addition, there are now studied approaches to how color should be used in design where "the functional aesthetics of colour can be reduced to a small number of guidelines and lists the main properties needed to make design decisions leading to visual clarity".[15]
At the same time, techniques in art and design can open up pathways to stimulate the thought process. Sketches offer an unrestrained way to get thoughts down on paper through the "abstract representations of ideas and idea structures".[15] It is also an effective means of communication, especially for architects, for translating ideas from designer to client. Despite all the advantages of integrating art and visuals into education, it is a difficult skill to master. Those who can are well versed in visual analysis. It takes a lot of practice to have sketches evolve from "meaningless scribbles" to a complex "thinking tool".[15]
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