There is a growing interest in the relationship between mental images and attentional templates as
both are considered pictorial representations that involve similar neural mechanisms. Here, we
investigated the role of mental imagery in the automatic implementation of attentional templates
and their effect on involuntary attention. We developed a novel version of the contingent capture
paradigm designed to encourage the generation of a new template on each trial and measure
contingent spatial capture by a template-matching visual feature (color). Participants were required
to search at four different locations for a specific object indicated at the start of each trial.
Immediately prior to the search display, color cues were presented surrounding the potential target
locations, one of which matched the target color (e.g., red for strawberry).
Across three experiments, our task induced a robust contingent capture effect, reflected by
faster responses when the target appeared in the location previously occupied by the targetmatching
cue. Contrary to our predictions, this effect remained consistent regardless of self-reported
individual differences in visual mental imagery (Experiment 1, N = 216) or trial-by-trial variation of
voluntary imagery vividness (Experiment 2, N = 121). Moreover, contingent capture was observed
even among aphantasic participants, who report no imagery (Experiment 3, N = 91). The magnitude
of the effect was not reduced in aphantasics compared to a control sample of non-aphantasics,
although the two groups reported substantial differences in their search strategy and exhibited
differences in overall speed and accuracy. Our results hence establish a dissociation between the
generation and implementation of attentional templates for a visual feature (color) and subjectively
experienced imagery.</p