Synesthesia: when colors count.
A tacitly held assumption in synesthesia research is the unidirectionality of digit-color associations. This notion is based on synesthetes' report that digits evoke a color percept, but colors do not elicit any numerical impression. In a random color generation task, we found evidence for an implicit co-activation of digits by colors, a finding that constrains neurological theories concerning cross-modal associations in general and synesthesia in particular.
Knoch
Daria
D
Department of Neurology, University Hospital Zurich, CH-8091 Zurich, Switzerland. daria.knoch@usz.ch
Gianotti
Lorena R R
LR
Mohr
Christine
C
Brugger
Peter
P
D000328:Adult; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D003071:Cognition; D003118:Color Perception / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008960:Models, Psychological; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D010468:Perceptual Disorders / Q000503:physiopathology*; D010775:Photic Stimulation / Q000379:methods; D011930:Reaction Time / Q000502:physiology; D014705:Verbal Behavior / Q000502:physiology*