Synesthesia: An Exploration of the Behavior, Biology, and Individuality of Cross-Modal Experiences

Author

Blaine Farmer

Date of Award

2009

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelors

Department

Natural Sciences

Second Department

Social Sciences

First Advisor

Bauer, Gordon

Keywords

Synesthesia, Perception, Senses, Cognition

Area of Concentration

Neurobiology

Abstract

Synesthesia is a rare condition where activation of one sensory modality causes inappropriate crossactivation in another sensory modality. For example, hearing a tone (the inducing stimulus) might cause the experience of color (the concurrent perception). This comprehensive review and analysis of the literature on synesthesia incorporates behavioral and biological research to construct a core understanding for future research. Additionally, an online psychophysical study of three females with motion-sound synesthesia was conducted. The results emphasize differences in both the cognition and underlying biology of individuals with synesthesia, and provide direction for subsequent taxonomical investigations.

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