Grapheme-color synesthesia and grapheme learning processes in children

2019 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 16K17365
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Young Scientists (B)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Research Field: Experimental psychology
• Research Institution: Rikkyo University
• Principal Investigator: ASANO Michiko 立教大学, 現代心理学部, 准教授 (40553607)
• Project Period (FY): 2016-04-01 – 2020-03-31
• Keywords: 共感覚 / 色字共感覚 / 言語発達 / 発達段階 / 文字学習

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Grapheme-color synesthesia is a cognitive characteristic in which the person feels that specific graphemes are associated with specific colors, and is found in a small number of the general population. The objective of this research project was to expand the developmental model of grapheme-color synesthesia (Asano & Yokosawa, 2013), which suggests that grapheme-color synesthesia is profoundly connected with grapheme learning. During the research period, (1) I have launched a longitudinal study on the developmental process of grapheme-color synesthesia in elementary school-aged children; (2) I have conducted a survey of university students on grapheme-synesthesia. Remarkably, the results revealed that there were a small number of people who reported that they had grapheme-color synesthesia in childhood but subsequently lost it; (3) Several research collaborations, both international and national, have been conducted, each of which contributed to the expansion of the developmental model.

Free Research Field

認知心理学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

色字共感覚に代表される共感覚の存在は、単に「文字を見る」という行為であっても色を感じる人と感じない人がいるなど、人間の認知処理の仕組みが多様であることを示している。人の認知の仕組みの全体像を明らかにする上ではそのような多様性も考慮する必要があり、共感覚のメカニズムを明らかにすることで、多様さを持った人間の認知処理メカニズムの全貌解明に一歩近づくことができる。また、色字共感覚と文字学習の関係を明らかにすることで、共感覚の有無を問わず、人間がどのような情報を助けにして文字を習得するのかについてのヒントが得られる可能性がある。