Synesthesia for Color Is Linked to Improved Color Perception but Reduced Motion Perception

Synesthesia is a rare condition in which one property of a stimulus (e.g., shape) triggers a secondary percept (e.g., color) not typically associated with the first. Work on synesthesia has predominantly focused on confirming the authenticity of synesthetic experience, but much less research has bee...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Psychological science 2013-12, Vol.24 (12), p.2390-2397
Main Authors: Banissy, Michael J., Tester, Victoria, Muggleton, Neil G., Janik, Agnieszka B., Davenport, Aimee, Franklin, Anna, Walsh, Vincent, Ward, Jamie
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adolescent
Adult
Adults
Biological and medical sciences
Cognition & reasoning
Color
Color perception
Color Perception - physiology
Colour
Comparative analysis
Female
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
Humans
Male
Mental health
Motion
Motion Perception - physiology
Multimodal perception
Perception
Perceptual Disorders - physiopathology
Property
Psychological factors
Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry
Psychology. Psychophysiology
Stimulus
Synesthesia
Young Adult
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Summary:Synesthesia is a rare condition in which one property of a stimulus (e.g., shape) triggers a secondary percept (e.g., color) not typically associated with the first. Work on synesthesia has predominantly focused on confirming the authenticity of synesthetic experience, but much less research has been conducted to examine the extent to which synesthesia is linked to broader perceptual differences. In the research reported here, we examined whether synesthesia is associated with differences in color and motion processing by comparing these abilities in synesthetes who experience color as their evoked sensation with nonsynesthetic participants. We show that synesthesia for color is linked to facilitated color sensitivity but decreased motion sensitivity. These findings are discussed in relation to the neurocognitive mechanisms of synesthesia and interactions between color and motion processing in typical adults.
ISSN:0956-7976
1467-9280
DOI:10.1177/0956797613492424