This study argues that there exists, in the general population, a distinctive profile of cognitive traits that predisposes people to develop synaesthesia (termed a 'synaesthetic disposition'). This consists of more vivid mental imagery, better episodic memory, and greater attention-to-detail (amongst others things). Using a machine-learning classifier, we show that it is possible to distinguish synaesthetes from others using only standard cognitive and personality measures. Importantly, people with multiple forms of synaesthesia have a more distinctive profile (i.e., they can be more accurately classified). This suggests that whilst the presence/absence of synaesthesia is dichotomous, the underlying causal mechanisms are continuous. Moreover, we provide evidence that the cognitive profile constitutes a heritable endophenotype. Non-synaesthetic relatives of synaesthetes are cognitively similar to synaesthetes. This provides new insights into why synaesthesia might have evolved (i.e., it is possible to have the cognitive benefits of synaesthesia in the absence of the anomalous experiences). The notion of a synaesthetic disposition represents a novel, quantifiable individual difference in cognition/personality. This paves the way for determining if this is linked to a distinctive pattern of clinical vulnerabilities.

中文翻译：

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通感与独特且可遗传的认知特征有关。

这项研究认为，在一般人群中，存在着一种明显的认知特征，使人们容易发展联觉（被称为“感官倾向”）。这包括更生动的心理意象，更好的情节记忆和对细节的关注（包括其他方面）。通过使用机器学习分类器，我们证明仅使用标准的认知和人格测验就可以将联觉麻醉剂与其他人区分开。重要的是，具有多种形式的联觉的人具有更独特的特征（即，他们可以更准确地分类）。这表明虽然联觉的存在与否是二分法的，但潜在的因果机制却是连续的。此外，我们提供证据表明认知特征构成可遗传的内表型。联觉的非麻醉亲戚在认知上与联觉相似。这提供了关于联觉为何可能发生演变的新见解（即，在没有异常经历的情况下有可能获得联觉的认知优势）。联觉倾向的概念代表了一种新的，可量化的认知/个性差异。这为确定这是否与临床漏洞的独特模式相关联铺平了道路。认知/个性方面的可量化个体差异。这为确定这是否与临床漏洞的独特模式相关联铺平了道路。可量化的个人认知/个性差异。这为确定这是否与临床漏洞的独特模式相关联铺平了道路。