Visualize the Author’s Message

“One look is worth a thousand words.” – Fred B. Barnard
“One picture is worth Ten Thousand words.” – Chinese Proverb
“A picture shows me at a glance what takes dozens of pages of a book to expound.” Ivan Turgenev

The three quotes at the top of this page reinforce what cognitive researchers have discovered:

1. The brain likes pictures. “Although each of us has the ability to process kinesthetic and auditory information, we take in more information visually than through any of the other senses.” (Wolfe, P. 2001)

2. Stronger neuron pathways are created with mental images. The mind is able to retain more information over a longer period of time since the visual images on the page are mirror images in the visual cortex. As a result, Antonio Damasio (1994) suggests you don’t need to recall the whole picture. “When a critical mass of sensory neurons is activated, the brain fills in the missing portions to complete the picture,” which makes it easier to recall information.

Mature readers visualize, or create mental images, to keep their mind engaged and entertained while they read. Sure, talking to the text and summarizing are great strategies to support your thinking, but drawing pictures is much more fun. Remember, you must create a learning environment that is exciting and pleasing to your amygdala, especially if you are a visual learner. In other words, the best way to prevent boredom while reading is to draw. (See Mind Temper Tantrums for more information on how emotions drive learning).

Did you ever wonder why there are so many billboards by the highway? When you drive, do you take your eyes off the road and sneak a peek? What do you see? Advertisers pepper the highways with PICTURES, LOGOS, and ILLUSTRATIONS because visual images convey a lot of meaning in a short amount of time. It’s only natural that you would be drawn to these visual pictures, especially the billboards that flash, change, or have scrolling texts.

Not only do pictures help you remember information, they increase your understanding of abstract concepts. Visualizing simplifies a topic by packing meaning into a picture. When a concept is complex, authors provide pictures to support your comprehension. Recent studies have found students who drew pictures to represent vocabulary definitions scored much higher on vocabulary tests than students who memorized dictionary definitions only (Bull & Wittrock, 1973).


I can’t talk about visualizing without revisiting the T in FLIRT. Applying the text structure and text organization information you learned while scanning the text for transition words is directly related to visualizing. The text structure establishes the framework for creating mental images. Should the camera in your mind focus on descriptive details or the sequence of events? Next, the text organization (how the ideas work together to illustrate connections between concepts) help you select the appropriate graphic organizer to support your note taking. Graphic organizers support your comprehension by providing a visual tool to store ideas. As you identify and highlight important ideas, place the phrase on the graphic organizer. Not only does this keep you actively engaged in the reading, it reduces the demands on your working memory because you have a place to store new information. The process of reading, highlighting, drawing, and writing tells the frontal cortex that this information is important. As a result, your mind will transfer the new information from working memory into long-term memory. Revisiting the graphic organizer after reading allows your mind to “to see” undiscovered patterns and examine the relationship between key concepts.

It’s time to do more thinking and less writing. Remember, words are nice, but pictures are better. Create your own billboards while you read so studying can be quick, simple, and fun.

Wolfe, P. (2001). Brain Matters
Damasio, A. (1994). Descartes' error: Emotion, reason, and the human brain.
Bull, B. & Wittrock, M (1973). Imagery in the learning of verbal definitions.