Mirror-Touch Synesthesia

Tendo como objeto de investigação científica a sinestesiologia -termo criado para definir, neste trabalho de pesquisa, o estudo da sinestesia, sob um enfoque semiótico e pragmático -e como principal suporte teórico a semiótica peirceana, a comunicação "Sinestesiologia e A Lei da Mente" visa a tecer um diálogo entre algumas idéias constantes do texto A Lei da Mente -um dos mais expressivos artigos de C. S. Peirce, publicado em The Monist, em 1892 -com fundamentações provenientes de outras áreas do conhecimento, como as neurociências, a biologia, a comunicação, a filosofia, entre outras ciências, de modo a analisar o fenômeno da percepção e da comunicação sinestésicas, mediante procedimentos lógico -abdutivos, que possibilitem divisar a manifestação sinestésica sob um prisma científico, ao invés de apresentá-la superficialmente, como mera curiosidade. As idéias da extensão espacial e da continuidade intensiva das sensações, presentes no citado artigo de Peirce, associadas ao conceito filosófico de sinequismo e à concepção de comunicação por afecção, permitem compreender a condição sinestésica como uma potencialidade vivente sob as espessas camadas de hábitos que condenam o ontológico ao invólucro. No entanto, enquanto potencialidade, a sinestesia traz a possibilidade do despertar e do dialogar das modalidades sensoriais estanques e anestesiadas pelo condicionamento cultural e pelos ditames de uma civilização visual que distorce e secciona o sentir em sua totalidade.

Tendo como objeto de investigacao cientifica a sinestesiologia - termo criado para definir, neste trabalho de pesquisa, o estudo da sinestesia, sob um enfoque semiotico e pragmatico - e como principal suporte teorico a semiotica peirceana, a comunicacao “Sinestesiologia e A Lei da Mente” visa a tecer um dialogo entre algumas ideias constantes do texto A Lei da Mente - um dos mais expressivos artigos de C. S. Peirce, publicado em The Monist, em 1892 - com fundamentacoes provenientes de outras areas do conhecimento, como as neurociencias, a biologia, a comunicacao, a filosofia, entre outras ciencias, de modo a analisar o fenomeno da percepcao e da comunicacao sinestesicas, mediante procedimentos logico - abdutivos, que possibilitem divisar a manifestacao sinestesica sob um prisma cientifico, ao inves de apresenta-la superficialmente, como mera curiosidade. As ideias da extensao espacial e da continuidade intensiva das sensacoes, presentes no citado artigo de Peirce, associadas ao conc...

The role of empathy and perspective-taking in preventing aggressive behaviors has been highlighted in several theoretical models. In this study, we used immersive virtual reality to induce a full body ownership illusion that allows offenders to be in the body of a victim of domestic abuse. A group of male domestic violence offenders and a control group without a history of violence experienced a virtual scene of abuse in first-person perspective. During the virtual encounter, the participants’ real bodies were replaced with a life-sized virtual female body that moved synchronously with their own real movements. Participants' emotion recognition skills were assessed before and after the virtual experience. Our results revealed that offenders have a significantly lower ability to recognize fear in female faces compared to controls, with a bias towards classifying fearful faces as happy. After being embodied in a female victim, offenders improved their ability to recognize fearful ...

Resumo Duchamp descreve o inframince2 como “o mais ínfimo dos intervalos, ou a mínima das diferenças” (DUCHAMP apud PERLOFF, 2002, p. 101). Tomando o trabalho e a proposição de Duchamp no sentido de que o inframince não pode ser descrito como tal – “dele só é possível dar exemplos” (DUCHAMP apud DE DUVE, 1991, p. 160) –, este artigo explora como ele chega à expressão e pergunta como seria uma política do inframince. Ponto chave dessa exploração é saber de que outra forma pode o valor ser definido e como repensar esse conceito compõe com a noção de pragmática especulativa.

In this study we present an experiment investigating the reconfiguration process elicited by the task switching paradigm in synesthesia. We study the time course of the operations involved in the activation of photisms. In the experimental Group, four digitcolour synesthetes alternated between an odd-even task and a colour task (to indicate the photism elicited by each digit). In both tasks, the target stimuli were numbers

In this study we present an experiment investigating the reconfiguration process elicited by the task switching paradigm in synesthesia. We study the time course of the operations involved in the activation of photisms. In the experimental Group, four digitcolour synesthetes alternated between an odd-even task and a colour task (to indicate the photism elicited by each digit). In both tasks, the target stimuli were numbers

Touch is our most interpersonal sense, and so it stands to reason that we represent not only our own bodily experiences, but also those felt by others. This review will summarise brain and behavioural research on vicarious tactile perception (mirror touch). Specifically, we will focus on vicarious touch across the lifespan in typical and atypical groups, and will identify the knowledge gaps that are in urgent need of filling by examining what is known about how individuals differ within and between typical and atypical groups.

Mentalizing is a fundamental process underpinning human social interaction. Claims of the existence of ‘implicit mentalizing’ represent a fundamental shift in our understanding of this important skill, suggesting that preverbal infants and even animals may be capable of mentalizing. One of the most influential tasks supporting such claims in adults is the dot perspective-taking task, but demonstrations of similar performance on this task for mentalistic and non-mentalistic stimuli have led to the suggestion that this task in fact measures domain-general processes, rather than implicit mentalizing. A mentalizing explanation was supported by fMRI data claiming to show greater activation of brain areas involved in mentalizing, including right temporoparietal junction (rTPJ), when participants made self-perspective judgements in a mentalistic, but not in a non-mentalistic condition, an interpretation subsequently challenged. Here we provide the first causal test of the mentalizing claim using disruptive transcranial magnetic stimulation of rTPJ during self-perspective judgements. We found no evidence for a distinction between mentalistic and non- mentalistic stimuli: stimulation of rTPJ impaired performance on all self-perspective trials, regardless of the mentalistic/non-mentalistic nature of the stimulus. Our data support a domain-general attentional interpretation of performance on the dot perspective-taking task, a role which is subserved by the rTPJ.

This a translation I made of a Massumi's paper for Galáxia (PUCSP)

Resumo: Os neurônios-espelho são neurônios especializados, capazes de ecoar no corpo de alguém movimentos percebidos no corpo de outra pessoa, através de algo que se assemelha a uma empatia sinestésica involuntária. A descoberta desses neurônios provocou uma reavaliação de grande envergadura, a respeito do papel da empatia e das relações Eu-Outro na construção do sentido do self nas ciências cognitivas, artes e ciências humanas. A sinestesia espelho-tátil (quando a percepção de um toque no corpo de outra pessoa induz naquele que a observou a sensação de ter sido tocado da mesma maneira) é uma das formas que essa " empatia " assume. Este artigo toma a sinestesia espelho-tátil como um ponto de partida para a reconsideração do conceito de sinestesia como um todo, e particularmente sua relação com a empatia, e por sua vez, a relação da empatia com o movimento. Argumentamos que o vocabulário costumeiramente utilizado para analisar essas questões – identificação, imagem do corpo, defeito, ou " confusão " no esquema espacial do corpo – estão desgastados por um viés cognitivista, que carrega consigo pressuposições que eclipsam a complexidade da organização emergente da experiência. Para corrigir os rumos, faz-se necessária uma reorganização filosófica. Este artigo busca encaminhar esse projeto com o auxílio da filosofia orientada ao processo de C.S. Peirce, Henri Bergson e A.N. Whitehead, propondo um quadro conceitual centrado na noção de " corpo virtual " , composto pela inclusão integral mútua das qualidades potenciais da experiência, seletivamente " compostas " no movimento. A ênfase na auto-composição performativa da experiência envolve a substituição do atual modelo de cognição em favor de um modelo fundamentalmente estético.

In this study we present an experiment investigating the reconfiguration process elicited by the task switching paradigm in synesthesia. We study the time course of the operations involved in the activation of photisms. In the experimental Group, four digitcolour synesthetes alternated between an odd-even task and a colour task (to indicate the photism elicited by each digit). In both tasks, the target stimuli were numbers

Individuals with mirror touch synaesthesia (MTS) experience touch on their own body when observing others being touched.  A recent account proposes that such rare experiences could be linked to impairment in self-other representations. Here we tested participants with MTS on a battery of social cognition tests and found that compared to non-synaesthete controls, the MTS group showed impairment in imitation-inhibition but not in visual perspective taking or theory of mind.  Although all of these socio-cognitive abilities rely on the control of self-other representations, they differ as to whether the self, or the other, should be preferentially represented.  For imitation-inhibition, representations of the other should be inhibited and self-representations should be enhanced, whereas the opposite is true for visual perspective taking and theory of mind.  These findings suggest that MTS is associated with a specific deficit in inhibiting representation of other individuals and shed light on the fractionability of processes underlying typical social cognition.

Individuals with mirror touch synaesthesia (MTS) experience touch on their own body when observing others being touched. A recent account proposes that such rare experiences could be linked to impairment in self-other representations. Here we tested participants with MTS on a battery of social cognition tests and found that compared to non-synaesthete controls, the MTS group showed impairment in imitation-inhibition but not in visual perspective taking or theory of mind. Although all of these socio-cognitive abilities rely on the control of self- other representations, they differ as to whether the self, or the other, should be preferentially represented. For imitation-inhibition, representations of the other should be inhibited and self-representations should be enhanced, whereas the opposite is true for visual perspective taking and theory of mind. These findings suggest that MTS is associated with a specific deficit in inhibiting representation of other individuals and shed light on the fractionability of processes underlying typical social cognition.

In this study we present an experiment investigating the reconfiguration process elicited by the task switching paradigm
in synaesthesia. We study the time course of the operations involved in the activation of photisms. In the experimental
Group, four digit-color synaesthetes alternated between an odd-even task and a color task (to indicate the photism
elicited by each digit). In both tasks, the target stimuli were numbers between 1 and 9 written in white. One of the
control groups ran the same tasks but this time with colored numbers (Naïve Control Group). The results of these
studies showed the expected pattern for the control group in the case of regular shift: a significant task switch cost with
an abrupt offset and a cost reduction in long RSI. However for the experimental group, we found switch cost asymmetry
in the short RSI and non-significant cost in the long RSI. A second control group performed exactly the same tasks as
the experimental group (with white numbers as targets and a second imaginary color task) -Trained Control Group-.
We found no cost for this second control group. This means that the cost of mental set reconfiguration between numbers
(inducers) and their photisms (concurrent sensations) occurs, that there is a specific cost asymmetry (from photisms to
inducers) and that this cost cannot be explained by associative learning. The results are discussed in terms of exogenous
and endogenous components of mental set reconfiguration.
Keywords: synaesthesia, task switching, mental-set reconfiguration, attention, executive functions.

Through cross-modal architectural portraits we investigate how the fabric of the city can change from a hollow, disembodied shell to one that defies stereotyping, as it constantly morphs and modulates to the inner pulse of the city’s inhabitants.
McSyn is a project that uses synesthesia to multi-sensorially and cognitively map the urban spaces around us, and McDonald’s in particular.  In a world of increasing global standardization we propose an angle of resistance through the singular filter of personal experience.  The synesthete ideates the world through an involuntary crossover of sensory and cognitive inputs, and thus builds a portrait of the surrounding landscape that defies the flattening stamp of corporate hegemony.

In this study we present an experiment investigating the reconfiguration process elicited by the task switching paradigm in synesthesia. We study the time course of the operations involved in the activation of photisms. In the experimental Group, four digitcolour synesthetes alternated between an odd-even task and a colour task (to indicate the photism elicited by each digit). In both tasks, the target stimuli were numbers

In this study we present an experiment investigating the reconfiguration process elicited by the task switching paradigm in synesthesia. We study the time course of the operations involved in the activation of photisms. In the experimental Group, four digitcolour synesthetes alternated between an odd-even task and a colour task (to indicate the photism elicited by each digit). In both tasks, the target stimuli were numbers

This paper aims to consider the impact of progress in the neurosciences, in particular the discovery of mirror neurons, on the study of morality. It analyzes the current attempts at naturalizing moral principles based on this discovery, reducing human morality to basic biological properties. It explores how psychological studies on empathy, perspective taking and embodied simulation have gained new credibility, explanatory power, and overall theoretical "traction" because of the discovery of mirror neuron systems. As part of this movement, there are now renewed attempts by researchers at establishing functional links, possibly causal links, between brain and moral thought. These attempts and the renewed quest toward naturalizing ethics are critically considered.