Hearing smell and tasting words: The science of synaesthesia - with Mary Jane Spiller

The lecture provides a comprehensive and engaging introduction to synaesthesia, grounded in the speaker’s expertise as a cognitive psychologist and researcher. Spiller effectively uses audience participation to illustrate the phenomenon, making the content accessible while maintaining scientific rigor. She clearly distinguishes between subjective experiences and measurable phenomena, emphasizing the importance of objective tests like the Stroop task to validate synaesthetic experiences. The talk covers a range of synaesthesia types, from grapheme-color to spatial and time-space, and discusses individual differences, such as projector vs. associator synesthetes. The historical context is briefly mentioned, and the speaker touches on potential neural mechanisms, including hyperconnectivity and genetic factors. However, the lecture lacks specific citations to studies, which would strengthen the scientific credibility. The speaker’s personal experience with synaesthesia adds authenticity but also introduces a potential bias, though she maintains a balanced perspective. The discussion of the impact of synaesthesia on cognition is somewhat speculative, but she appropriately frames it as correlational. Overall, the talk is informative and well-structured, suitable for a general audience interested in neuroscience and perception. The interactive elements and visual examples enhance understanding, though the lack of detailed references is a minor weakness. The title accurately reflects the content, and the talk successfully conveys the complexity and fascination of synaesthesia.

The title accurately reflects the content, which explores synaesthesia through sensory examples and scientific explanations.

8/10

Talk by a cognitive psychologist with PhD on synaesthesia, published in the Oxford Handbook of Synesthesia. Content is well-structured, based on established research, and includes interactive demonstrations. No citations to specific studies are given, but the speaker's expertise and the institutional setting (Royal Institution) support reliability.

• 00:00What Color Is Monday?
• 03:10What Does the Name “Derek” Taste Like?
• 07:00Introducing Synesthesia
• 11:30Grapheme–Color Synesthesia
• 15:00Projector vs Associator Synesthetes
• 19:10Spatial Synesthesia: Seeing Numbers in Space
• 21:30Time–Space Synesthesia
• 26:40Tasting Words and Shapes in Food
• 30:00When Synesthetic Associations Feel “Wrong”
• 34:30The History of Synesthesia Research
• 36:50Testing Whether Synesthesia Is Real
• 42:40The Stroop Test and Automatic Perception
• 48:50Imagining Letters and Seeing Colours
• 54:30Does Attention Affect Synesthetic Experience

• RI Science Podcast — Mentioned as a resource for further exploration of science topics.
• Editing RI Talks and Moderating Comments — Linked in the description, likely for information on how talks are edited and comments moderated.
• Donate to the Royal Institution — Support page for the Royal Institution, mentioned in the description.
• Q&A Session for this talk — Exclusive Q&A for Science Supporter members, mentioned in the description.

• Synesthesia - Wikipedia — General information on synaesthesia, consistent with the talk's content.
• Oxford Handbook of Synesthesia — The speaker contributed a chapter; authoritative reference on the topic.