University of Sussex
Browse
SIMNER_Cortex_JAN_2020_author_copy.pdf (576.25 kB)

Numeracy skills in child synaesthetes: evidence from grapheme-colour synaesthesia

Download (576.25 kB)
journal contribution
posted on 2023-06-09, 20:25 authored by Louisa RinaldiLouisa Rinaldi, Rebecca SmeesRebecca Smees, D A Carmichael, Julia SimnerJulia Simner
Grapheme-colour synaesthesia is a neurological trait that causes lifelong colour associations for letter and numbers. Synaesthesia studies have demonstrated differences between synaesthetes and non-synaesthetes in ways that extend beyond synaesthesia itself (e.g., differences in their cognition, personality, and creativity). This research has focused almost exclusively on adult synaesthetes, and little is known about the profiles of synaesthetic children. By and large, findings suggest advantages for synaesthetes (e.g., Chun & Hupé, 2016; Havlik et al., 2015; Rothen et al., 2012; Rouw & Scholte, 2016; Simner & Bain, 2018) although differences in mathematical ability are unclear: some research indicates advantages (e.g., Green & Goswami, 2008) whilst others suggest difficulties (e.g., Rich et al., 2005). In the current study, we tested numerical cognition in a large group of children with grapheme-colour synaesthesia. Synaesthetes with coloured numbers showed advantages over their peers in their sense of numerosity, but not in their curriculum mathematics ability. We discuss how our findings speak to models for synaesthesia, to methodologies for assessing number cognition (e.g., dot numerosity tasks), and to the wider educational practice of using coloured number-tools in schools (e.g., Numicon; Oxford University Press, 2018).

History

Publication status

  • Published

File Version

  • Accepted version

Journal

Cortex

ISSN

0010-9452

Publisher

Elsevier

Department affiliated with

  • Psychology Publications

Full text available

  • Yes

Peer reviewed?

  • Yes

Legacy Posted Date

2020-01-28

First Open Access (FOA) Date

2021-01-29

First Compliant Deposit (FCD) Date

2020-01-27

Usage metrics

    University of Sussex (Publications)

    Categories

    No categories selected

    Exports

    RefWorks
    BibTeX
    Ref. manager
    Endnote
    DataCite
    NLM
    DC