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Do sequence-space synaesthetes have better spatial imagery skills? Maybe not
1Faculty of Psychology, Sapienza, University of Rome, Rome, Italy.
Cognitive Processing
|July 18, 2012
Summary
Sequence-space synaesthesia involves experiencing numbers in space. This study found synaesthetes have better visual imagery but not spatial skills, challenging previous findings on mental rotation tasks.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Psychology
- Neuroscience
Background:
- Sequence-space synaesthesia links numbers/dates to spatial locations.
- Prior research suggested synaesthetes possess enhanced visual imagery and spatial reasoning skills.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the relationship between sequence-space synaesthesia and spatial imagery.
- To re-evaluate previous claims of superior spatial performance in synaesthetes.
Main Methods:
- Comparison of synaesthetes and controls using the Object Spatial Imagery Questionnaire.
- Assessment via paper folding test and mental rotation task.
- Correlation analysis between self-reported imagery and task performance.
Main Results:
- Synaesthetes reported stronger visual imagery, consistent with prior studies.
- No significant differences were found in self-reported spatial imagery between groups.
- Synaesthetes did not outperform controls on paper folding or mental rotation tasks.
- Spatial imagery positively correlated with performance on spatial tasks in the pooled sample.
Conclusions:
- Findings suggest sequence-space synaesthesia is more closely linked to visual than spatial imagery.
- Previous findings of enhanced mental rotation in synaesthetes may be due to other factors.
- The study refines the understanding of the cognitive underpinnings of synaesthesia.
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