Synesthesia and mental imagery: Recent advances

Abstract

Synesthesia is a phenomenon in which an individual, when processing information（e.g., letters）in their mind, not only processes that information in a general way（e.g., letters are recognized as letters）, but also experiences types of sensations and cognitive processing that are generally considered unrelated to that information（e.g., getting an impression of colors when looking at letters）. It is experienced by a small percentage of the general population. Many researchers have pointed out that synesthetic experiences and mental imagery are similar in that they are induced without any sensory stimulation. This paper reviews recent advances in synesthesia research, focusing on the empirical findings and theoretical considerations of the relationship between synesthesia and mental imagery.