A study examined whether imaging is a universal ability that can be used by learners, and if it can be developed for more effective use once the learner can observe the role of imaging in his or her own mental activity. Subjects, 196 students in college upperclass writing classes, graduate level workshops, basic writing classes, an undergraduate fiction reading class, a film class, and in a National Writing Program Summer Institute, completed a questionnaire and a "Mental Process Essay," in which they explored their thoughts on their own thinking, reading, and writing processes. Results indicated that all but one of the subjects responded with an unequivocal "yes" on visual imagery and that subjects reported (in decreasing order) imagery involving auditory, feeling, smell, and taste senses. Examples from the data categories of the senses, literacy skills, and mental skills illustrate the findings. Findings suggest that imaging is universal: it can be used by all learners. (A theory of imaging and 19 references are attached.) (RS)