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Beyond perception: synaesthesia as a psycholinguistic phenomenon
1Department of Psychology, School of Philosophy, Psychology and Language Sciences, University of Edinburgh, 7 George Square, Edinburgh EH8 9JZ, UK. j.simner@ed.ac.uk
Trends in Cognitive Sciences
|December 2, 2006
Summary
Synaesthesia, a merging of senses, is increasingly studied through linguistic symbols. Research on linguistic synaesthesia uses psycholinguistic methods to explore word-triggered sensory experiences and their impact on language theories.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Psychology
- Linguistics
Background:
- Synaesthesia traditionally viewed as sensory merging.
- Focus on sensory aspects overlooks conceptual influences.
- Many synaesthetic variants are triggered by linguistic symbols like words.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine the emergent field of linguistic synaesthesia research.
- To explore the psycholinguistic methodology applied to linguistic synaesthesias.
- To redefine synaesthesia and the interplay between perceptual and non-perceptual systems.
Main Methods:
- Application of psycholinguistic methodologies.
- Analysis of synaesthetic variants triggered by linguistic symbols.
- Review of existing literature on linguistic synaesthesia.
Main Results:
- A novel subfield of linguistic synaesthesia research is emerging.
- Psycholinguistic approaches are redefining synaesthesia.
- Research informs general theories of language and cognition.
Conclusions:
- Linguistic synaesthesia research offers new perspectives on perception and language.
- The interplay between sensory and conceptual systems is crucial.
- This field has significant implications for understanding human cognition and language.
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