Pearson / UNSW research
How the subreddit talks about Joel Pearson's lab and the binocular-rivalry / pupillometry / skin-conductance work that gave aphantasia its first "objective" measures.
What people actually say
Binocular rivalry as the first objective handle
Users repeatedly point to the rivalry paradigm as the moment aphantasia stopped being purely self-report. They frame it as a diagnostic that produces a measurable group difference, not as something individuals can use to confirm their own status.
"Binocular rivalry is the first test to show a distinct difference in how we respond relative to neurotypical people." 2021 · t1_glz2nom ↗
"Aphants score differently on the binocular rivalry test than neurotypicals, making it a potential diagnostic to prove (to others) that we do not visualize." 2021 · t1_glz2as3 ↗
"The guys in Australia have devised a much easier test, using binocular rivalry." 2018 · t1_ec4k4w5 ↗
Pupillometry, skin conductance, and Pearson's broader programme
A handful of comments name Pearson directly and list the suite of physiological measures his lab uses, often in the context of pointing newcomers toward a video or paper.
"Joel Pearson (the researcher using binocular rivalry to study aphantasia)" 2019 · t1_ee744o3 ↗
"He talks about binocular rivalry, lack of skin conductance response, lack of pupil response as more objective measures" 2022 · t1_hvcq8pi ↗
Trying it yourself, and why it doesn't quite work as a personal test
Several commenters have attempted a home version, and the threads are honest about its limits — dominant eye, priming setup, and the gap between a group-level effect and a personal diagnosis.
"Alternatively you could try a binocular rivalry test with priming which you can technically do in your own home." 2019 · t1_ee722us ↗
"The binocular rivalry one I found really hard to do. No matter what I tried I could see both images at the same time. Neither really seemed to dominate the other. I tried to think about colors and it had no impact on what I saw." 2023 · t1_kcob05h ↗
"The binocular rivalry test does actually show a meaningful difference in results between aphants and visualizers. Unfortunately, having one dominant eye can be a problem taking it." 2021 · t1_hl4bqx1 ↗
Wielded as proof against skeptics
Once the rivalry results were widely known, the study became the subreddit's go-to citation when someone shows up insisting aphantasia isn't real or is just a vocabulary problem.
"This has been debunked years ago with the binocular rivalry study. People with aphantasia really aren’t visualizing." 2023 · t1_jnn6lec ↗
Across the years
The rivalry paradigm shows up as early as 2018 (1 chunk) — already framed as the easier Australian test — and the conversation expands sharply through 2019 (5), 2020 (4) and peaks in 2021 (9) as more users discover the work via podcasts and survey-recruitment threads. By 2022–2023 (1 and 6 chunks), the tone shifts: instead of explaining what the test is, commenters cite it as settled evidence to rebut skeptical theories. 2024–2025 (2 and 2) carry forward both threads — pupillometry / fMRI namechecks alongside continued use of "binocular rivalry" as shorthand for "we have proof now."
Volume
| Year | Chunks tagged |
|---|---|
| 2018 | 1 |
| 2019 | 5 |
| 2020 | 4 |
| 2021 | 9 |
| 2022 | 1 |
| 2023 | 6 |
| 2024 | 2 |
| 2025 | 2 |
Cross-references
- Related sub-theme:
themes/tests_apple_test.md(the VVIQ/apple alternative people contrast Pearson's work against)