WARD_Cognitive_Neuropsychology_Jun_2021.pdf (504.37 kB)
Synaesthesia as a model system for understanding variation in the human mind and brain
The aim of this article is to reposition synaesthesia as model system for understanding variation in the construction of the human mind and brain. People with synaesthesia inhabit a remarkable mental world in which numbers can be coloured, words can have tastes, and music is a visual spectacle. Key questions remain unanswered about why it exists, and how the study of synaesthesia might inform theories of the human mind. This article argues we need to rethink synaesthesia as not just representing exceptional experiences, but as a product of an unusual neurodevelopmental cascade from genes to brain to cognition of which synaesthesia is only one outcome. Specifically, differences in the brains of synaesthetes support a distinctive way of thinking (enhanced memory, imagery etc.) and may also predispose towards particular clinical vulnerabilities. In effect, synaesthesia can act as a paradigmatic example of a neuropsychological approach to individual differences.
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Publication status
- Published
File Version
- Accepted version
Journal
Cognitive NeuropsychologyISSN
0264-3294Publisher
Taylor & FrancisExternal DOI
Department affiliated with
- Psychology Publications
Full text available
- Yes
Peer reviewed?
- Yes
Legacy Posted Date
2021-07-02First Open Access (FOA) Date
2022-07-17First Compliant Deposit (FCD) Date
2021-07-01Usage metrics
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