Page 185. What synaesthesia is (and is not) Sean A. Day National Central University, Taiwan Synae... more Page 185. What synaesthesia is (and is not) Sean A. Day National Central University, Taiwan Synaesthesia is the general name for a related set (a" complex") of various cognitive states having in common that stimuli to one sense ...
... Overview and Prevalence of Synesthesia Synesthesia is the general name for two related sets (... more ... Overview and Prevalence of Synesthesia Synesthesia is the general name for two related sets (or" complexes ... Over the past 10 years, I have interacted with Chinese, Brazilian, and Nigerian synesthetes, as well as ... I do not have perfect pitch, so when I say that C minor has a rusty ...
The unknown can sometimes be frightening. Fear of the unknown can sometimes be even more frighten... more The unknown can sometimes be frightening. Fear of the unknown can sometimes be even more frightening. In 1997, I presented a paper at the SSA conference titled "One’s Own Brain as Trickster " (Day 1998), in which I briefly explored ideas surrounding synesthesia and the human brain playing "tricks " upon oneself and one’s perceptions. In that previous paper, I explored how Trickster might come in as one tries to define one’s "self". This time around, I’m looking more at how Trickster might pop up in issues of how one’s brain is physiologically put together, and/or how it might reconstruct itself over time, and the extent to which we operate upon the premises that our perceptions contain realities – or, taking it further, reflect the one-and-only "reality". Synesthesia is the general name for two related sets (or "complexes") of cognitive states (see Baron-Cohen & Harrison 1997; Cytowic 1989, 1993; Grossenbacher & Lovelace 2001, and Da...
Page 1. ~ ~ ONE'S OWN BRAIN AS TRICKSTER SEAN A. DAY National Central University, Chungl... more Page 1. ~ ~ ONE'S OWN BRAIN AS TRICKSTER SEAN A. DAY National Central University, Chungli, Taiwan ~---- Trickster may appear in many different fom1s to take on his/her adversary, even when the adversary is the ...
Debate has persisted for over 150 years as to whether there are specific patterns in synesthetica... more Debate has persisted for over 150 years as to whether there are specific patterns in synesthetically colored graphemes (letters) and phonemes (speech sounds).I investigate 255 colored- grapheme synesthetes, both from literature dating back 130 years ago to present, and from current personal correspondences, then compile and tabulate the data.I do the same for 29 colored phoneme synesthetes.Results indicate that certain graphemes and phonemes have very noticeable tendencies towards a specific color amongst synesthetes; furthermore, certain graphemes overlap with their corresponding phonemes as to color tendency.Colored phoneme trends also share similarities with worldwide sound symbolism trends.
Given what we know from current research, Georg Tobias Ludwig Sachs was the first documented syna... more Given what we know from current research, Georg Tobias Ludwig Sachs was the first documented synaesthete in history. His medical dissertation, principally about albinism but including a self description of his synaesthesia, was published in 1812. At that time, Sachs was 26 years old. Subsequent single case reports of synaesthetes mostly concerned adults. Where are the children? Four sets of open questions will be answered in this article: 1) When did the first documented case of a child with synaesthesia appear? Who discovered it, and when? 2) Who carried out the first empirical study on synaesthesia in children? When was this done and what were the results? 3) Who carried out the first longitudinal study with a child to test whether synaesthesia is consistent over years? When was this and how did they approach the question of whether synaesthesia is congenital or learned? 4) How old were the youngest children with synaesthesia documented in the 19th and early 20th century?
Synesthesia is a rare perceptual condition causing unusual sensations, which are triggered by the... more Synesthesia is a rare perceptual condition causing unusual sensations, which are triggered by the stimulation of otherwise unrelated modalities (e.g., the sensation of colors triggered when listening to music). In addition to the name it takes today, the condition has had a wide variety of designations throughout its scientific history. These different names have also been accompanied by shifting boundaries in its definition, and the literature has undergone a considerable process of change in the development of a term for synesthesia, starting with "obscure feeling" in 1772, and ending with the first emergence of the true term "synesthesia" or "synaesthesiae" in 1892. In this article, we will unpack the complex history of this nomenclature; provide key excerpts from central texts, in often hard-to-locate sources; and translate these early passages and terminologies into English.
Synesthesia is a rare neurological trait that causes unusual, often crosssensory, experiences (e.... more Synesthesia is a rare neurological trait that causes unusual, often crosssensory, experiences (e.g., seeing colors when listening to music). This article traces the history of synesthesia in the period 1876 to 1895. In this period, there was considerable debate over the nature of synesthesia, its causes, and how it should be named. The issue also attracted the leading thinkers of the time and, within a few years, the number of reported cases of synesthesia jumped from around ten to more than 100. For this reason, this period can be regarded as the "golden age" for synesthesia research in the nineteenth century. In this time, scientists debated whether synesthesia was a form of pathology or an alternative manifestation of intelligence. The differing roles of heredity and environment were contested, and there were several explanations proposed as to its neural basis. These enquiries went to the heart of the debate as to whether synesthetic experiences are special in any way or, instead, a more vivid manifestation of a more general capacity for forming associations.
Synesthesia is a rare neurological trait that causes unusual, often crosssensory, experiences (e.... more Synesthesia is a rare neurological trait that causes unusual, often crosssensory, experiences (e.g., seeing colors when listening to music). This article traces the history of synesthesia in the period 1876 to 1895. In this period, there was considerable debate over the nature of synesthesia, its causes, and how it should be named. The issue also attracted the leading thinkers of the time and, within a few years, the number of reported cases of synesthesia jumped from around ten to more than 100. For this reason, this period can be regarded as the "golden age" for synesthesia research in the nineteenth century. In this time, scientists debated whether synesthesia was a form of pathology or an alternative manifestation of intelligence. The differing roles of heredity and environment were contested, and there were several explanations proposed as to its neural basis. These enquiries went to the heart of the debate as to whether synesthetic experiences are special in any way or, instead, a more vivid manifestation of a more general capacity for forming associations.
Synesthesia is a rare neurological trait that causes unusual, often crosssensory, experiences (e.... more Synesthesia is a rare neurological trait that causes unusual, often crosssensory, experiences (e.g., seeing colors when listening to music). This article traces the history of synesthesia in the period 1876 to 1895. In this period, there was considerable debate over the nature of synesthesia, its causes, and how it should be named. The issue also attracted the leading thinkers of the time and, within a few years, the number of reported cases of synesthesia jumped from around ten to more than 100. For this reason, this period can be regarded as the "golden age" for synesthesia research in the nineteenth century. In this time, scientists debated whether synesthesia was a form of pathology or an alternative manifestation of intelligence. The differing roles of heredity and environment were contested, and there were several explanations proposed as to its neural basis. These enquiries went to the heart of the debate as to whether synesthetic experiences are special in any way or, instead, a more vivid manifestation of a more general capacity for forming associations.
Page 185. What synaesthesia is (and is not) Sean A. Day National Central University, Taiwan Synae... more Page 185. What synaesthesia is (and is not) Sean A. Day National Central University, Taiwan Synaesthesia is the general name for a related set (a" complex") of various cognitive states having in common that stimuli to one sense ...
... Overview and Prevalence of Synesthesia Synesthesia is the general name for two related sets (... more ... Overview and Prevalence of Synesthesia Synesthesia is the general name for two related sets (or" complexes ... Over the past 10 years, I have interacted with Chinese, Brazilian, and Nigerian synesthetes, as well as ... I do not have perfect pitch, so when I say that C minor has a rusty ...
The unknown can sometimes be frightening. Fear of the unknown can sometimes be even more frighten... more The unknown can sometimes be frightening. Fear of the unknown can sometimes be even more frightening. In 1997, I presented a paper at the SSA conference titled "One’s Own Brain as Trickster " (Day 1998), in which I briefly explored ideas surrounding synesthesia and the human brain playing "tricks " upon oneself and one’s perceptions. In that previous paper, I explored how Trickster might come in as one tries to define one’s "self". This time around, I’m looking more at how Trickster might pop up in issues of how one’s brain is physiologically put together, and/or how it might reconstruct itself over time, and the extent to which we operate upon the premises that our perceptions contain realities – or, taking it further, reflect the one-and-only "reality". Synesthesia is the general name for two related sets (or "complexes") of cognitive states (see Baron-Cohen & Harrison 1997; Cytowic 1989, 1993; Grossenbacher & Lovelace 2001, and Da...
Page 1. ~ ~ ONE'S OWN BRAIN AS TRICKSTER SEAN A. DAY National Central University, Chungl... more Page 1. ~ ~ ONE'S OWN BRAIN AS TRICKSTER SEAN A. DAY National Central University, Chungli, Taiwan ~---- Trickster may appear in many different fom1s to take on his/her adversary, even when the adversary is the ...
Debate has persisted for over 150 years as to whether there are specific patterns in synesthetica... more Debate has persisted for over 150 years as to whether there are specific patterns in synesthetically colored graphemes (letters) and phonemes (speech sounds).I investigate 255 colored- grapheme synesthetes, both from literature dating back 130 years ago to present, and from current personal correspondences, then compile and tabulate the data.I do the same for 29 colored phoneme synesthetes.Results indicate that certain graphemes and phonemes have very noticeable tendencies towards a specific color amongst synesthetes; furthermore, certain graphemes overlap with their corresponding phonemes as to color tendency.Colored phoneme trends also share similarities with worldwide sound symbolism trends.
Given what we know from current research, Georg Tobias Ludwig Sachs was the first documented syna... more Given what we know from current research, Georg Tobias Ludwig Sachs was the first documented synaesthete in history. His medical dissertation, principally about albinism but including a self description of his synaesthesia, was published in 1812. At that time, Sachs was 26 years old. Subsequent single case reports of synaesthetes mostly concerned adults. Where are the children? Four sets of open questions will be answered in this article: 1) When did the first documented case of a child with synaesthesia appear? Who discovered it, and when? 2) Who carried out the first empirical study on synaesthesia in children? When was this done and what were the results? 3) Who carried out the first longitudinal study with a child to test whether synaesthesia is consistent over years? When was this and how did they approach the question of whether synaesthesia is congenital or learned? 4) How old were the youngest children with synaesthesia documented in the 19th and early 20th century?
Synesthesia is a rare perceptual condition causing unusual sensations, which are triggered by the... more Synesthesia is a rare perceptual condition causing unusual sensations, which are triggered by the stimulation of otherwise unrelated modalities (e.g., the sensation of colors triggered when listening to music). In addition to the name it takes today, the condition has had a wide variety of designations throughout its scientific history. These different names have also been accompanied by shifting boundaries in its definition, and the literature has undergone a considerable process of change in the development of a term for synesthesia, starting with "obscure feeling" in 1772, and ending with the first emergence of the true term "synesthesia" or "synaesthesiae" in 1892. In this article, we will unpack the complex history of this nomenclature; provide key excerpts from central texts, in often hard-to-locate sources; and translate these early passages and terminologies into English.
Synesthesia is a rare neurological trait that causes unusual, often crosssensory, experiences (e.... more Synesthesia is a rare neurological trait that causes unusual, often crosssensory, experiences (e.g., seeing colors when listening to music). This article traces the history of synesthesia in the period 1876 to 1895. In this period, there was considerable debate over the nature of synesthesia, its causes, and how it should be named. The issue also attracted the leading thinkers of the time and, within a few years, the number of reported cases of synesthesia jumped from around ten to more than 100. For this reason, this period can be regarded as the "golden age" for synesthesia research in the nineteenth century. In this time, scientists debated whether synesthesia was a form of pathology or an alternative manifestation of intelligence. The differing roles of heredity and environment were contested, and there were several explanations proposed as to its neural basis. These enquiries went to the heart of the debate as to whether synesthetic experiences are special in any way or, instead, a more vivid manifestation of a more general capacity for forming associations.
Synesthesia is a rare neurological trait that causes unusual, often crosssensory, experiences (e.... more Synesthesia is a rare neurological trait that causes unusual, often crosssensory, experiences (e.g., seeing colors when listening to music). This article traces the history of synesthesia in the period 1876 to 1895. In this period, there was considerable debate over the nature of synesthesia, its causes, and how it should be named. The issue also attracted the leading thinkers of the time and, within a few years, the number of reported cases of synesthesia jumped from around ten to more than 100. For this reason, this period can be regarded as the "golden age" for synesthesia research in the nineteenth century. In this time, scientists debated whether synesthesia was a form of pathology or an alternative manifestation of intelligence. The differing roles of heredity and environment were contested, and there were several explanations proposed as to its neural basis. These enquiries went to the heart of the debate as to whether synesthetic experiences are special in any way or, instead, a more vivid manifestation of a more general capacity for forming associations.
Synesthesia is a rare neurological trait that causes unusual, often crosssensory, experiences (e.... more Synesthesia is a rare neurological trait that causes unusual, often crosssensory, experiences (e.g., seeing colors when listening to music). This article traces the history of synesthesia in the period 1876 to 1895. In this period, there was considerable debate over the nature of synesthesia, its causes, and how it should be named. The issue also attracted the leading thinkers of the time and, within a few years, the number of reported cases of synesthesia jumped from around ten to more than 100. For this reason, this period can be regarded as the "golden age" for synesthesia research in the nineteenth century. In this time, scientists debated whether synesthesia was a form of pathology or an alternative manifestation of intelligence. The differing roles of heredity and environment were contested, and there were several explanations proposed as to its neural basis. These enquiries went to the heart of the debate as to whether synesthetic experiences are special in any way or, instead, a more vivid manifestation of a more general capacity for forming associations.
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