UQ Researchers Looking For People Who Hear Colours

Main Category: Neurology / Neuroscience
Also Included In: Psychology / Psychiatry;  Hearing / Deafness
Article Date: 20 Jun 2008 - 3:00 PDT

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University of Queensland researchers are seeking volunteers to take part in research into the world of synaesthesia, where people may hear colours.

Rebecca Rainbow, a researcher from UQ's School of Psychology, is running a study in conjunction with UQ's Queensland Brain Institute to try and understand what is happening in the brains of people who have these unusual experiences.

"Synaesthesia is the phenomenon where perception in one sense triggers experiences in another," Ms Rainbow said.

"This can mean people experience colours when they see or hear words, letters or numbers."

Ms Rainbow said rather than seeing the condition as a negative, many people say it enriches their lives.

"They often report that it assists them in some way, such as when they are learning people's names," she said.

"For example, if the letter P is a dusky orange for a particular synaesthete this might help them remember that a particular person is called Peter because his name is also dusky orange since is starts with the letter P.

"When asked, most synaesthetes say that they could not imagine life without synaesthesia and would not wish to have it taken away."

She said the aim of the study was to examine the brain responses associated with these synaesthetic experiences by using EEG, which measures electrical activity in the brain.

"It is not yet understood why synaesthesia occurs or why it occurs in some people but not others," she said.

"The study of synaesthesia may help us understand how and why this particular phenomenon occurs. It may also help inform us about the processes underlying normal multi-sensory integration, which occurs in us all."

Participants will be paid for their involvement and for reasonable transport expenses to the University of Queensland from the Brisbane metropolitan area.

School of Psychology

The University of Queensland, Brisbane Australia