Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Related Concept Videos

Synesthesia

Synesthesia

Synesthesia is a remarkable condition where stimulation of one sensory or cognitive pathway leads to automatic, involuntary experiences in a second sensory or cognitive pathway. People with synesthesia experience a blending or crossing of their senses, such as sight and sound, leading to cross-modal sensations. In this condition, the stimulation of one sense, such as hearing a number or musical note, triggers an experience of another sense, like sensing a specific color, taste, or smell. People...

Higher Mental Functions of Brain: Learning and Memory

Higher Mental Functions of Brain: Learning and Memory

Memory is one of the most vital higher mental functions of the brain. Memory is closely related to learning because it enables us to retain information and experiences from our past to use them in our present life. It also helps us to remember facts, events, and skills, such as riding a bike or swimming. There are two types of memory — declarative memory, which involves memorizing facts or events, and procedural memory, which enables us to remember how to do something like writing or playing an...

System of Memory

System of Memory

Memory is categorized into three major systems: sensory memory, short-term memory (STM), and long-term memory (LTM). These systems differ in their capacity and the duration for which they can hold information. Sensory memory captures raw sensory input from the environment, holding it for just a few seconds or less. For example, on hearing a brief, loud sound, like a car horn honking, the sound seems to linger in the mind for a moment even after it stops. This is an instance of sensory memory...

Mnemonic Devices

Mnemonic Devices

Mnemonic devices are cognitive tools that facilitate memory retention by linking new information to familiar patterns or organizational strategies. These techniques are beneficial for remembering complex or lengthy sets of information by simplifying and structuring them in easily retrievable ways.
Acronyms
Acronyms are created by using the initial letters of a series of words to form a new word or phrase. This approach condenses complex information into a single, memorable entity. For example,...

Sensory Memory

Sensory Memory

Sensory memory captures information from the environment in its original form for a very brief duration, just long enough to be exposed to visual, auditory, and other senses. This type of memory is detailed and rich but quickly lost unless certain strategies are employed to transfer it into short-term or long-term memory. Sensory information is continuously bombarding the human brain, yet only a small fraction is absorbed, as most of it does not significantly impact daily life. For instance,...

Storage

Storage

A schema is a mental framework that helps individuals organize and interpret information. Schemata, formed from previous experiences, influence how we process new information: how we encode it, the inferences we make, and how we retrieve it. For instance, a schema for what a typical classroom looks like might include desks, a teacher's desk, a whiteboard, and students in such an environment. This expectation helps us quickly understand and navigate new classrooms without needing to analyze each...

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by

Same author

Normalization accounts for temporal dynamics in human somatosensory cortex.

bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology·2026

Same author

An increasingly efficient narrowband object-recognition channel along the ventral stream.

bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology·2026

Same author

EasyEyes: Crowded dynamic fixation for online psychophysics.

Journal of vision·2026

Same author

A case study of sudden-onset cortically mediated visual impairments in a 12-year-old.

Research square·2025

Same author

Unpacking the V1 map: Differential covariation of preferred spatial frequency and cortical magnification across spatial dimensions.

PLoS computational biology·2025

Same author

Spatial attention selectively alters visual cortical representation during target anticipation.

Nature communications·2025

Same journal

How Does the Mind Grow? Cross-Cultural Intuitive Theories of Mental Development.

Psychological science·2026

Same journal

Not All Practice Is Created Equal: Longitudinal Evidence From Over 40,000 Chess Players.

Psychological science·2026

Same journal

Eye Glint as a Novel Perceptual Cue in Human Vision.

Psychological science·2026

Same journal

Multitarget Visual Search Flexibly Switches Between Concurrent and Sequential Search Modes.

Psychological science·2026

Same journal

Motive Alignment Promotes Adolescents' Proenvironmental Behavior: A Field Experiment in Two Cultures.

Psychological science·2026

Same journal

Retributive Sentiments Track Both Deterrent and Compensatory Concerns in a Small-Scale Society and a WEIRD Sample.

Psychological science·2026

See all related articles

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 15, 2026

Training Synesthetic Letter-color Associations by Reading in Color

Training Synesthetic Letter-color Associations by Reading in Color

Published on: February 20, 2014

Learning, memory, and synesthesia.

Nathan Witthoft¹, Jonathan Winawer

¹Department of Psychology, Stanford University, 416 Jordan Hall, Stanford, CA 94305, USA. witthoft@stanford.edu

Psychological Science

|January 12, 2013

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Childhood toys with colored letters may explain learned color-grapheme synesthesia in individuals. This study reveals learned synesthesia in multiple people, highlighting the role of learning and memory in this sensory experience.

More Related Videos

In Vivo Optical Calcium Imaging of Learning-Induced Synaptic Plasticity in Drosophila melanogaster

In Vivo Optical Calcium Imaging of Learning-Induced Synaptic Plasticity in Drosophila melanogaster

Published on: October 8, 2019

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: May 15, 2026

Training Synesthetic Letter-color Associations by Reading in Color

Training Synesthetic Letter-color Associations by Reading in Color

Published on: February 20, 2014

In Vivo Optical Calcium Imaging of Learning-Induced Synaptic Plasticity in Drosophila melanogaster

In Vivo Optical Calcium Imaging of Learning-Induced Synaptic Plasticity in Drosophila melanogaster

Published on: October 8, 2019

Area of Science:

Cognitive Neuroscience
Psychology

Background:

Color-grapheme synesthesia involves experiencing colors with letters/numbers.
Existing research often emphasizes genetic or perceptual factors.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the role of learning and memory in color-grapheme synesthesia.
To explore potential environmental influences on synesthetic associations.

Main Methods:

Data collected from 11 individuals with color-grapheme synesthesia.
Investigated the origins of their specific color-grapheme pairings.
Traced associations to childhood toys with colored letters.

Main Results:

Identified similar color-grapheme pairings across individuals.
These pairings were linked to specific childhood toys.
This is the first data showing learned synesthesia in multiple individuals.

Conclusions:

Learned associations, particularly from early experiences, play a crucial role in synesthesia.
Synesthesia can be understood as automatic retrieval of mnemonic associations.
Reconciles genetic/perceptual views with learning-based explanations.