title: The most intriguing question in synesthesia research.
abstract: This discussion paper forms an insightful addition to the synesthesia literature. Accompanying a steep increase in recent publications on synesthesia, it helps remedy the conspicuous paucity of mechanistic process models explaining the condition. The paper furthermore addresses what is arguably among the most interesting questions: Why do most synesthetes *not* get confused by their additional sensations? This is particularly interesting when phrased in a broader context: What are the mechanisms for deciding which of the sensations we experience reflect something "real" (phenomena in the outside world) and which reflect something that is "not real" (internally generated and private phenomena).
authors.affiliation: a Department of Psychology , University of Amsterdam , Amsterdam , The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Romke
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Rouw
authors.forename: K Richard
authors.initials: KR
authors.lastname: Ridderinkhof
mesh_terms: D006801:Humans; D010465:Perception / Q000502:physiology*; D010468:Perceptual Disorders / Q000503:physiopathology*; D010775:Photic Stimulation; D000080311:Synesthesia