Oxford Handbook of Synesthesia PDF Download

Author: Julia Simner
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
ISBN: 0199603324
Category : Art
Languages : en
Pages : 1104

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Book Description
Synesthesia is a fascinating phenomenon which has captured the imagination of scientists and artists alike. This title brings together a broad body of knowledge about this condition into one definitive state-of-the-art handbook.

Author: Julia Simner
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 0198836279
Category : Medical
Languages : en
Pages : 1104

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Book Description
Synesthesia is a fascinating phenomenon which has captured the imagination of scientists and artists alike. This title brings together a broad body of knowledge about this condition into one definitive state-of-the-art handbook.

Author: Julia Simner
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
ISBN: 019874921X
Category : Medical
Languages : en
Pages : 153

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Book Description
In 1893 a Swiss neuroscientist called Theodore Flournoy conducted an interview with an individual known only as "Madame L", during which Madame L described the personalities of numbers, from 6, an orphaned young man, very well brought up and polite, to 9, the selfish and maniacal husband ofMadame 8, to the extravagant and self-centred 5. For Madame L it was impossible to contemplate the numbers without feeling their attendant personalities. This is one of the first records we have of synaesthesia, often described as a rare neurological condition that gives rise to a type of "mergingof the senses". For those who experience it - synaesthetes - one sense appears to cross with another. Some people experience the sensation of different flavours when they hear certain words, while others see vivid colours on reading words. In the varying forms of synaesthesia letters, numbers,words, sounds, colours, or textures can merge together, resulting in sensations of colourful chords, chicken that feels pointy when eaten, and beef that tastes dark blue.In this Very Short Introduction Julia Simner introduces the many different ways synaesthesia presents itself. Discussing the scientific tests we have developed for distinguishing true synaesthetes (who may not even be aware that their sensations are unusual), Simner considers how we can measure theeffects synaesthesia has on the everyday lives of people living with it. Exploring the fascinating stories of different individuals' experiences of the world through the many forms of synaesthesia, she discusses the increasingly documented links between synaesthesia and artistic creativity andlateral thinking, and also the potential limitations synaesthesia might impose. Delving into the neuroscience behind synaesthesia, Simner also relates contemporary attempts at understanding both the genetic causes of synaesthesia, and how synesthetic sensations occur in the brain.ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, andenthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.

Author: Mohan Matthen
Publisher:
ISBN: 0199600473
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 945

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Book Description
The Oxford Handbook of the Philosophy of Perception is a survey by leading philosophical thinkers of contemporary issues and new thinking in philosophy of perception. It includes sections on the history of the subject, introductions to contemporary issues in the epistemology, ontology and aesthetics of perception, treatments of the individual sense modalities and of the things we perceive by means of them, and a consideration of how perceptual information is integrated and consolidated. New analytic tools and applications to other areas of philosophy are discussed in depth. Each of the forty-five entries is written by a leading expert, some collaborating with younger figures; each seeks to introduce the reader to a broad range of issues. All contain new ideas on the topics covered; together they demonstrate the vigour and innovative zeal of a young field. The book is accessible to anybody who has an intellectual interest in issues concerning perception.

Author: Sean Day
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781534738058
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 152

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Book Description
Synesthesia is the general name for a related set of cognitive traits. Synesthesia may be divided into two general, somewhat overlapping forms. In the first, "synesthesia proper", stimuli to a sensory input will also trigger perceptions in one or more other sensory modes. For example, a person might not only hear music, but also see it; or might not only feel a touch to the hand, but also taste it.In the second form of synesthesia, called "cognitive category synesthesia", sets of things which cultures teach us to put together and categorize, such as letters, numbers, or people's names, also get sensory addition, such as a smell, color or flavor. The letter 'A' might be seen as red; the word 'book' might put a taste of oranges in one's mouth.Synesthesia affects more than 3.7% of the world's population - that's at least one out of every 27 people! Yet it is generally unknown to most people. This book explores more than 80 different types of synesthesia, from the more common, such as colored letters and numbers and time-lines, to the extraordinarily rare, such as flavors in one's mouth producing perceptions of musical chords. The author is himself a multiple synesthete who has researched and interacted with other synesthetes around the world for over 25 years.

Author: Gemma Calvert
Publisher: MIT Press
ISBN: 9780262033213
Category : Medical
Languages : en
Pages : 954

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Book Description
Research is suggesting that rather than our senses being independent, perception is fundamentally a multisensory experience. This handbook reviews the evidence and explores the theory of broad underlying principles that govern sensory interactions, regardless of the specific senses involved.

Author: Richard E. Cytowic
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN: 1461235421
Category : Psychology
Languages : en
Pages : 366

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Book Description
Synesthesia comes from the Greek syn (meaning union) and aisthesis (sensation), literally interpreted as a joining of the senses. Synesthesia is an involuntary joining in which the real information from one sense is joined or accompanies a perception in another. Dr. Cytowic reports extensive research into the physical, psychological, neural, and familial background of a group of synesthets. His findings form the first complete picture of the brain mechanisms that underlie this remarkable perceptual experience. His research demonstrates that this rare condition is brain-based and perceptual and not mind-based, as is the case with memory or imagery. Synesthesia offers a unique and detailed study of a condition which has confounded scientists for more than 200 years.

Author: Jason Padgett
Publisher: HMH
ISBN: 0544045645
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 268

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Book Description
From head trauma to scientific wonder—a “deeply absorbing . . . fascinating” true story of acquired savant syndrome (Entertainment Weekly). Twelve years ago, Jason Padgett had never made it past pre-algebra. But a violent mugging forever altered the way his brain worked. It turned an ordinary math-averse student into an extraordinary young man with a unique gift to see the world as no one else does: water pours from the faucet in crystalline patterns, numbers call to mind distinct geometric shapes, and intricate fractal patterns emerge from the movement of tree branches, revealing the intrinsic mathematical designs hidden in the objects around us. As his ability to understand physics skyrocketed, the “accidental genius” developed the astonishing ability to draw the complex geometric shapes he saw everywhere. Overcoming huge setbacks and embracing his new mind, Padgett “gained a vision of the world that is as beautiful as it is challenging.” Along the way he fell in love, found joy in numbers, and spent plenty of time having his head examined (The New York Times Book Review). Illustrated with Jason’s stunning, mathematically precise artwork, his singular story reveals the wondrous potential of the human brain, and “an incredible phenomenon which points toward dormant potential—a little Rain Man perhaps—within us all” (Darold A. Treffert, MD, author of Islands of Genius: The Bountiful Mind of the Autistic, Acquired, and Sudden Savant). “A tale worthy of Ripley’s Believe It or Not! . . . This memoir sends a hopeful message to families touched by brain injury, autism, or neurological damage from strokes.” —Booklist “How extraordinary it is to contemplate the bizarre gifts that might lie within all of us.” —People

Author: Michael Haverkamp
Publisher: Walter de Gruyter
ISBN: 3034611684
Category : Design
Languages : en
Pages : 472

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Book Description
Synesthetic design strives to develop products that systematically incorporate all five senses. In future, the current wealth of medical technical insights in psychology, physiology, motor functions, and neurology and the development of innovative materials with astonishing new properties will open up almost unlimited opportunities for the designer’s creativity. Haverkamp brings together for the first time precisely those aspects of this fundamental knowledge that are specifically relevant for designers. The result is a book that offers designers of all schools a clear and well-organized practical handbook and a solid foundation for their own designs.

Author: Ophelia Deroy
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 0199688281
Category : Medical
Languages : en
Pages : 331

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Book Description
Synaesthesia is a strange sensory blending: synaesthetes report experiences of colours or tastes associated with particular sounds or words. This volume presents new essays by scientists and philosophers exploring what such cases can tell us about the nature of perception and its boundaries with illusion and imagination.