Concept driven color experiences in digit-color synesthesia.

Full Abstract

In digit-color synesthesia, black digits elicit conscious experiences of highly specific colors (photisms). This paper describes C, an undergraduate student who experiences digit-color synesthesia. We evaluated whether C's photisms could occur even in the absence of an externally presented digit. C was shown simple arithmetic problems (e.g., 5 + 2) followed by a color patch. C was significantly faster at naming the color of the patch when it was congruent with the photism associated with the answer to the problem than when the color patch was incongruent with the answer. These results replicate previous findings (Dixon, Smilek, Cudahy, & Merikle, 2000) and strongly suggest that for C, an externally presented inducing stimulus is not necessary to trigger a photism--activating the concept of a digit is sufficient.

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Author information

Author/s: Smilek, Daniel (D); Dixon, Mike J (MJ); Cudahy, Cera (C); Merikle, Philip M (PM);

Affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. dsmilek(-atsign-)watarts.uwaterloo.ca

Journal and publication information

Publication Type: Case Reports; Journal Article; Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

Journal: Brain and cognition (Brain Cogn), published in United States. (Language: eng)

Reference: -2002 Mar-Apr; vol 48 (issue 2-3) : pp 570-3

Dates: Created 2002/05/27; Completed 2002/10/16; Revised 2006/11/15;

PMID: 12030509, status: MEDLINE (last retrieval date: 12/26/2008)

Sourced from the National Library of Medicine. Abstract text and other information may be subject to copyright.

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MeSH headings (categories)

This article was linked to the MESH Headings shown below.

Adult
Cognition
Color Perception - physiology
Female

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