The Causes of Synesthesia
Kelsey Burge
Blackburn College PY 101
Synesthesia is a condition in which a person perceives an object with more than one sense because the brain crosses paths between the regions that are responsible for distinguishing each sense. For example, when a person sees the letter Z, he may also see the color red in his mind. In addition, it is not guaranteed that two people with synesthesia, or synesthetes as they are called, will have the same sensations when observing objects (Hornik, 2001). It is estimated that 1 in every 2,000 people has synesthesia (Kher, 2001, 64). Although there are some ideas of what causes synesthesia, it will be difficult to recognize a clear cause because all synesthetes are affected on a sort …show more content…
25) uses the term “hyper-associative mechanism” to define the way that the brain can cross paths between regions, allowing senses to be interpreted as other senses. Although this term does not give any insight as to why the brain may connect senses, it allows for the understanding that there are a variety of underlying causes that may contribute to a hyper-associative mechanism. It is assumed that instead of attempting to identify an exact neurological cause of synesthesia, a better understanding may be reached if it is looked at from the perspective that there may be several neurological processes that occur that contribute to synesthesia (Simner, 2012, p. 26). The following causes, neurons in development and feedback mechanisms, can both be classified as a hyper-associative …show more content…
For example, the child may have seen a colored number line and then forever associates certain numbers with the colors that adorned the number line. Or synesthesia could be caused by metaphorical phrases, such as the saying “sharp cheddar” (Guterman, 2001, A17). If this were correct, then it would be possible to say that the brain can be trained and conditioned to develop synesthesia because it is not a hereditary disorder.
Conclusion
Overall, there is not an exact cause of synesthesia that has yet to be discovered. Some researchers claim that there has to be an event that causes the brain to create pathways that would not normally be created, while others think that synesthesia may be caused by associations the brain made between objects during childhood. There is a wide variation of hypotheses. Research is still being pursued to identify what happens in a brain that causes such cross-wiring and what does not happen to cause people to have so-called “normal” sensory perceptions. References
Guterman, L. (2001). Synesthetes Show Their Colors. Chronicle Of Higher Education, 48(16),
Kelsey Burge
Blackburn College PY 101
Synesthesia is a condition in which a person perceives an object with more than one sense because the brain crosses paths between the regions that are responsible for distinguishing each sense. For example, when a person sees the letter Z, he may also see the color red in his mind. In addition, it is not guaranteed that two people with synesthesia, or synesthetes as they are called, will have the same sensations when observing objects (Hornik, 2001). It is estimated that 1 in every 2,000 people has synesthesia (Kher, 2001, 64). Although there are some ideas of what causes synesthesia, it will be difficult to recognize a clear cause because all synesthetes are affected on a sort …show more content…
25) uses the term “hyper-associative mechanism” to define the way that the brain can cross paths between regions, allowing senses to be interpreted as other senses. Although this term does not give any insight as to why the brain may connect senses, it allows for the understanding that there are a variety of underlying causes that may contribute to a hyper-associative mechanism. It is assumed that instead of attempting to identify an exact neurological cause of synesthesia, a better understanding may be reached if it is looked at from the perspective that there may be several neurological processes that occur that contribute to synesthesia (Simner, 2012, p. 26). The following causes, neurons in development and feedback mechanisms, can both be classified as a hyper-associative …show more content…
For example, the child may have seen a colored number line and then forever associates certain numbers with the colors that adorned the number line. Or synesthesia could be caused by metaphorical phrases, such as the saying “sharp cheddar” (Guterman, 2001, A17). If this were correct, then it would be possible to say that the brain can be trained and conditioned to develop synesthesia because it is not a hereditary disorder.
Conclusion
Overall, there is not an exact cause of synesthesia that has yet to be discovered. Some researchers claim that there has to be an event that causes the brain to create pathways that would not normally be created, while others think that synesthesia may be caused by associations the brain made between objects during childhood. There is a wide variation of hypotheses. Research is still being pursued to identify what happens in a brain that causes such cross-wiring and what does not happen to cause people to have so-called “normal” sensory perceptions. References
Guterman, L. (2001). Synesthetes Show Their Colors. Chronicle Of Higher Education, 48(16),