Synaesthesia is associated with enhanced, self-rated visual imagery

Although the condition known as synaesthesia is currently undergoing a scientific resurgence, to date the literature has largely focused on the heterogeneous nature of synaesthesia across individuals. In order to provide a better understanding of synaesthesia, however, general characteristics need t...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Consciousness and cognition 2008-09, Vol.17 (3), p.1032-1039
Main Authors: Barnett, Kylie J., Newell, Fiona N.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adult
Biological and medical sciences
Cognition & reasoning
Cognition. Intelligence
Cues
Eyes & eyesight
Female
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
Humans
Imagination
Male
Mental imagery. Mental representation
Mental Processes
Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry
Psychology. Psychophysiology
Psychomotor Performance
Self Concept
Sensory perception
Synaesthesia
Visual imagery
Visual Perception
VVIQ
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Summary:Although the condition known as synaesthesia is currently undergoing a scientific resurgence, to date the literature has largely focused on the heterogeneous nature of synaesthesia across individuals. In order to provide a better understanding of synaesthesia, however, general characteristics need to be investigated. Synaesthetic experiences are often described as occurring ‘internally’ or in the ‘mind’s eye’, which is remarkably similar to how we would describe our experience of visual mental imagery. We assessed the role of visual imagery in synaesthesia by sampling a large group of synaesthetes and found that they report experiencing more vivid mental images than controls. These findings have important implications for our general understanding of synaesthesia and, in particular, emphasize the need to control for visual imagery in behavioural and neuroimaging paradigms.
ISSN:1053-8100
1090-2376
DOI:10.1016/j.concog.2007.05.011