ABSTRACT

The aim of this article is to reposition synaesthesia as model system for understanding variation in the construction of the human mind and brain. People with synaesthesia inhabit a remarkable mental world in which numbers can be coloured, words can have tastes, and music is a visual spectacle. Key questions remain unanswered about why it exists, and how the study of synaesthesia might inform theories of the human mind. This article argues we need to rethink synaesthesia as not just representing exceptional experiences, but as a product of an unusual neurodevelopmental cascade from genes to brain to cognition of which synaesthesia is only one outcome. Specifically, differences in the brains of synaesthetes support a distinctive way of thinking (enhanced memory, imagery etc.) and may also predispose towards particular clinical vulnerabilities. In effect, synaesthesia can act as a paradigmatic example of a neuropsychological approach to individual differences.

摘要

本文的目的是将通感重新定位为模型系统，以了解人类思维和大脑构造的变化。有联觉的人生活在一个非凡的心理世界中，数字可以被着色，文字可以有味道，音乐是一种视觉奇观。关于它为什么存在以及通感研究如何为人类思维理论提供信息的关键问题仍未得到解答。本文认为，我们需要重新思考通感不仅代表了特殊的经历，而且是从基因到大脑再到认知的不同寻常的神经发育级联反应的产物，其中通感只是一种结果。具体来说，联觉者大脑的差异支持一种独特的思维方式（增强的记忆力、图像等），也可能导致特定的临床脆弱性。