Hearing colours: does synaesthesia exist?
Dr. Simon Baron-Cohen
Synaesthesia is defined as a mixing of the senses - or when a sensation in one 'modality' (e.g., hearing) triggers a perception in another (e.g., vision). In this talk Simon Baron-Cohen will describe people with this 'condition' and what we have learnt by studying their cases: at the levels of behaviour, psychology, neuro-imaging and family studies. He will also look at whether this fascinating research can shed any light on what is deemed to be 'normal' perception. Research in synaesthesia points to a phenomenon that seems real enough, but the gaps in the evidence still mean that explanation is some way off.
Dr. Simon Baron-Cohen is University Lecturer in Psychopathology at the University of Cambridge. His research spans the developmental neuropsychology of autism, early diagnosis, psychological intervention and neuro-imaging in autism. He previously held a senior academic post at the Institute of Psychiatry, University of London. He was awarded the British Psychological Society's Spearman Medal and the American Psychological Association's McAndless Award for outstanding contributions to research. He is author of numerous articles in scientific journals on the subject of autism, and has written books for both scientists and parents. In 1995 he became a Fellow in Experimental Psychology at Trinity College, Cambridge. He has worked with the National Autistic Society for over a decade.