The study of musical imagery, both voluntary and involuntary, helps us better understand musical memory and how auditory imagery assists in developing aural skills. The term involuntary musical imagery (INMI), referring to an episode in which a song is heard repeatedly within one’s own mind, is sometimes used interchangeably with the vernacular term “earworm.” These episodes are extremely common (Liikkanen, 2012), making them advantageous to study. These spontaneous cognitions help researchers better understand how accurately we hear imagined music and may have implications for all levels of musical training. One less studied aspect of the musical imagery experience is how the experience changes as people age. Prior to gathering data on this topic, it is essential to create a framework to investigate this issue. As researchers seek to better understand the frequency, individual attitudes towards, and content of INMI episodes, three components of the INMI experience become prominent: exposure to music, individual traits, and musical qualities. Exposure refers to how often an individual is exposed to certain songs or genres of music. Research indicates that people are more susceptible to INMI episodes in low or medium attention states, such as while driving, so the music an individual is exposed to in these states may likely end up as an earworm. Mental imagery is a highly individualized experience, and thus personal traits affect the musical imagery experience. Studies have looked at INMI episodes in the context of clinical diagnoses as well as sub-clinical traits, such as anxiety, and how these personal traits affect the musical imagery experience. Musical training has also been shown to affect how people experience musical imagery. The number of years spent performing has been linked to more frequent and vivid musical imagery. Finally, specific musical qualities have been indicated as more likely to predict whether a song will become an earworm. Notably, songs with faster tempos and sung lyrics have been shown more likely to become earworms. Any of these three components can influence INMI episodes and this poster will examine how these components work together to influence musical imagery. Each of these components, as well as measurements including the Involuntary Musical Imagery Scale (IMIS; Floridou et al., 2015) and the Bucknell Auditory Imagery Scale (BAIS; Halpern, 2015), will be examined in this literature review poster. These components will be considered in the context of how these circumstances change as people age.