Can synaesthesia research inform cognitive science?

Full Abstract

The renaissance of synaesthesia research has produced many insights regarding the aetiology and mechanisms that might underlie this intriguing phenomenon, which abnormally binds features between and within modalities. Synaesthesia is interesting in its own right, but whether it contributes to our knowledge of neurocognitive systems that underlie non-synaesthete experience is an open question. In this review, we show that results from the field of synaesthesia can constrain cognitive theories in numerical cognition, automaticity, crossmodal interaction and awareness. Therefore, research of synaesthesia provides a unique window into other domains of cognitive neuroscience. We conclude that the study of synaesthesia could advance our understanding of the normal and abnormal human brain and cognition.

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Author information

Author/s: Cohen Kadosh, Roi (R); Henik, Avishai (A);

Affiliation: Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience and Department of Psychology, University College London, 17 Queen Square, London WC1N 3AR, UK. r.cohenkadosh(-atsign-)ucl.ac.uk

Journal and publication information

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

Journal: Trends in cognitive sciences (Trends Cogn Sci), published in England. (Language: eng)

Reference: 2007-Apr; vol 11 (issue 4) : pp 177-84

Dates: Created 2007/03/30; Completed 2007/05/24;

PMID: 17331789, status: MEDLINE (last retrieval date: 12/26/2008)

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MeSH headings (categories)

This article was linked to the MESH Headings shown below.

Cerebral Cortex - physiology; physiopathology
Cognitive Science - methods
Humans

Perceptual Disorders - physiopathology
Psychological Theory
Sensation Disorders - physiopathology

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