The color of two alphabets for a multilingual synesthete.
Interviews with a multilingual synesthete (MLS), who experiences colored letters for Roman and Cyrillic alphabets and for digits, revealed stable synesthetic experiences over 2 1/2 - 5 years. Colors of Cyrillic letters were based on Roman letters. Four Stroop tests involving both types of letters showed that MLS was able to name print color faster if the colors matched her synesthetic colors, showing that synesthesia is automatic. Letter-naming times for blocks of color were slower than those of actual letters, supporting unidirectionality of synesthesia. Stroop tests with Roman, but not Cyrillic, letters showed MLS acquired new temporary letter-color pairings and her color-naming times for these were not different from those for her original synesthetic colors.
Mills
Carol Bergfeld
CB
Department of Psychology, Goucher College, 1021 Dulaney Valley Road, Baltimore, MD 21204, USA. cmills@goucher.edu
Viguers
Meredith L
ML
Edelson
Shari K
SK
Thomas
Amanda T
AT
Simon-Dack
Stephanie L
SL
Innis
Joanne A
JA
D003118:Color Perception; D003117:Color Vision Defects / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D019303:Multilingualism; D010364:Pattern Recognition, Visual; D010700:Phonetics; D014825:Vocabulary