Synesthesia

Synesthesia

By: Jean Luc M. 

We recently learned about a rare condition called "synesthesia".  Using internet research, explain each of the terms below:

1. Synesthesia:

Synesthesia is an involuntary joining in which the real information of one sense is accompanied by a perception in another sense. In addition to being involuntary, this additional perception is regarded by the synesthete as real, often outside the body, instead of imagined in the mind's eye. It also has some other interesting features that clearly separate it from artistic fancy or purple prose. (http://web.mit.edu/synesthesia/www/)

http://static.howstuffworks.com/gif/synesthesia-3.jpg

2. grapheme-color synesthesia

Grapheme → color synesthesia is a form of synesthesia in which an individual's perception of numbers and letters is associated with the experience of colors. Like all forms of synesthesia, grapheme →color synesthesia is involuntary, consistent, and memorable. Grapheme → color synesthesia is one of the most common forms of synesthesia, and because of the extensive knowledge of the visual system, one of the most studied. (http://uk.ask.com/wiki/Grapheme-color_synesthesia)

http://www.evsc.net/v8/wp/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/synabc.jpg

3. ordinal-linguistic personification  

I found it quite similar to what I did and went to research it. I found out that for me, it’s Ordinal Linguistic Personification (OLP). I associate words, letters or numbers with a personality. It’s a rare form of synesthesia and thus lesser studied(http://theparfaitprincey.wordpress.com/2010/03/05/ordinal-linguistic-personification/) 

http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/uimages/sf/1016_syn01.jpg

4. number-form synesthesia

A number form is a mental map of numbers, which automatically and involuntarily appears whenever someone who experiences number-forms thinks of numbers. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Number_form)

http://annarosekerr.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/synesthesia-alphabet1.jpg

5. sound-color synesthesia

In sound–>colour synesthesia, individuals experience colours as a response to music/sounds. Sound–>colour synesthesia can be further broken down into two categories, “Narrow band” and “Broad band” sound->colour synesthesia. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Synesthesia)

http://www.bluecatsandchartreusekittens.com/voorkantomslag.jpg

6. lexical-gustatory synesthesia

Lexical → gustatory synesthesia is one of the rarer forms of synesthesia, in which spoken or written words evoke vivid sensations of taste, sometimes including temperature and texture. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lexical-gustatory_synesthesia) 

http://media.mlive.com/grpress/news_impact/photo/mackenzie-young-grapheme-color-synesthesia-3acb163c34a8bf31_large.jpg