![]() ![]() They discuss their findings in relation to emotional experience in synesthesia and the extent to which synesthesia may be used as a vehicle to inform us about emotional processing in the wider population. Perry and Henik ( 2013) report an experiment addressing emotional conflict sensations evoked in synesthesia when synesthetic photisms and veridical experiences conflict (e.g., when a numeral is presented in the wrong color). ( 2013) propose that numerical synesthesia is more than a symbol-induced phenomenon, and may also be induced by non-symbolic magnitudes. In addition to Simner's ( 2013) proposal that synesthetic experience is associated with individual differences in visual mental imagery, several other articles also address the mechanisms underlying synesthesia. What mechanisms contribute to synesthetic experiences? In her thoughtful discussion, she suggests that differences between projector (for whom synesthetic experiences are projected onto external objects) and associator (for whom synesthetic experiences appear in the “minds eye”) synesthetes may emerge from individual differences in visual mental imagery. Similarly, Simner ( 2013) contributes to themes of what mechanisms contribute to synesthetic experiences and what constitutes synesthesia by discussing the role of visual mental imagery in different types of synesthetes. ( 2013) examine the acuity of visual-to-auditory sensory substation and discuss whether visual imagery evoked by the device is a form of or synthetic synesthesia. ( 2014) examine the relationship between synesthetic and non-synesthetic cross-modal representations by assessing color associations for days and letters across different languages. ( 2013) touch on the theme of how synesthesia relates to typical cross-modal interactions, reporting findings on color and texture associations in voice induced synesthesia, suggesting common underlying mechanisms in cross-modal associations between synesthetes and non-synesthetes. ![]() Similarly, Deroy and Spence ( 2013) discuss the notion of “induced synesthesia,” arguing that current attempts to induce synesthesia may not be evidentially linked to developmental synesthesia. Marks and Mulvenna ( 2013) provide an interesting opinion article on cases that border on traditional forms of synesthesia and discuss whether these forms do or do not constitute forms of synesthesia. Mylopoulos and Ro ( 2013) provide a critical review of methods used for understanding and classifying synesthesia and provide a set of markers to aid in distinguishing synesthesia from other psychological phenomena. Several authors focus on discussing what synesthesia is and how it relates to typical cross-modal interactions. What constitutes synesthesia and how does it relate to typical cross-modal interactions? Specifically, this research topic is focused around the following themes: What constitutes synesthesia and how does it relate to typical cross-modal interactions? What mechanisms contribute to synesthetic experiences? Are there broader cognitive and perceptual traits associated with synesthesia, and what mechanisms mediate their relationship? In total, there are 20 articles, each addressing at least one of these themes. This has also resulted in many open questions and debates, several of which are touched upon in this research topic. This resurgence in research has led to developments in our understanding of mechanisms that contribute to the synesthetic experience and the use of synesthesia as a unique experimental preparation to inform us about typical models of cognition and perception (e.g., Cohen Kadosh and Henik, 2007 Simner, 2007 Bargary and Mitchell, 2008 Rouw et al., 2011). While synesthetic experiences have been documented since the 1800s (Jewanski et al., 2009), it is only in the last few decades that the authenticity of synesthetic experiences and mechanisms that contribute to them has been explored in depth (Ward, 2013). The lower bound prevalence of the condition is considered to be approximately 4% (Simner et al., 2006). There are at least 60 known variants of synesthesia (Day, 2013), including reports of synesthetic experiences of color (Baron-Cohen et al., 1987), taste (Ward and Simner, 2003), touch (Ward et al., 2008), and sound (Saenz and Koch, 2008). For example, in lexical-gustatory synesthesia words evoke the experience of tastes (Ward and Simner, 2003). Synesthesia is a rare experience where one property of a stimulus evokes a second experience not associated with the first. ![]()
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