Months in space: synaesthesia modulates attention and action

Area of Science:

• Cognitive Neuroscience
• Psychology
• Human-Computer Interaction

Background:

• Month-space synaesthesia involves experiencing months in spatial arrangements.
• Previous research focused on perceptual aspects of synaesthesia.
• This study investigates the impact of synaesthesia on motor behavior.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine how month-space synaesthesia influences action behavior.
• To compare the effect of month names and direction words on spatial attention and motor responses.
• To explore the underlying mechanisms of synaesthetic influence on overt actions.

Main Methods:

• A spatial Stroop-like task was conducted in a haptics and virtual reality environment.
• Participants included one month-space synaesthete (S.M.) and five matched controls.
• Stimuli consisted of month/direction words and peripheral circles; reaching movements were measured.

Main Results:

• A congruency effect was observed when participants reached towards a location indicated by a word (month or direction), ignoring a peripheral circle.
• This effect was evident in reaching path, velocity, and trajectory.
• No significant effects were found when participants ignored the word and reached for the circle.

Conclusions:

• Month-space synaesthetes exhibit spatial shifts of attention triggered by month names, similar to direction words.
• These synaesthetic effects influence not only cognitive processes but also overt motor behavior.
• The findings highlight the embodied nature of synaesthetic experiences and their impact on action control.