MOTOR-AUDIO-VISUO-TEMPORAL SYNESTHESIA Authors: Igor A. Voronov, Psy. D., Prof., The St. Peterburg Institute of Psychology and Acmeology, Faculty of Psychology, St. Petersburg, Russian Federation. Tatiana A. Bocharova, PT., Antonine University, Baabda, Lebanon. Contact information:
[email protected] ;
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Abstract: We investigated multi-modal synesthesia in the traditional training compound methodology consisting of 32 elements for mass military troops preparation of Qi Jiguan (XVI c.) and found that: (1) The methodology operates the mechanisms of multi-modal audio-visual-motor (MAV) synesthetic connections, (2) Specific synesthetic influence activates adaptation mechanisms to cyclic environmental changes, (3) Synesthesia is a genuine perceptual phenomenon based on common neurophysiological processes, (4) MAVT synesthetic exercises can be used as human performance optimizing programs.
Introduction First studies exploring synesthesia within the framework of modern cognitive psychology started in the 70-s of the XX century (Marks, 1974, 1987a, 1987b). Still as early as in 1704, Sir Isaac Newton struggled to devise mathematical formulae to equate the vibration of sound waves to a corresponding wavelength of light. Goethe noted color correspondence in his 1810 work (Cytowic, 1995). At the beginning of the XX century a famous Russian abstractionist Wassily Kandinsky (Kandinsky, 1912) wrote that “the sound of colors is so definite, that it would be difficult to find a person who preferred expressing bright yellow with low bass notes or a dark lake with soprano”. Synesthesia (Greek, syn= together + aisthesis= perception) is the involuntary physical experience of a cross-modal association. That is, the stimulation of one sensory modality reliably causes a perception in one or more different senses. This defines “similar sensations”, a condition in which one type of stimulation evokes
the sensation of another, as when the hearing of a sound produces the visualization of a color. In most cases synesthesia is not occasional and follows specific order. (Solso, 2001).Experiencing colors in response to reading achromatic printed letters and numbers (grapheme-color synesthesia) is among the most common and widely studied kinds of synesthesia (Simner et al., 2006). Other pairings within and between sensory modalities have also been reported, including colors evoked by musical pitches (Marks, 1975), spatial arrangements elicited by numbers (Calkins, 1893; Galton, 1881), and tastes in response to words (Ward &Simner, 2003). “Audiomotor” synesthesia probably seem the strangest – the subjects position their body in
different postures according to different sounds: of meaningful words or nonsense. The same results of testing the same individual were obtained ten years later (Cytowic, 1995). Now neuroscience is not sure why and how these cross-sensory associations occur, but many researchers agree that they are formed by some deep fundamental aspect of perception. Different hypothesis were elaborated to explain synesthesia.”The Sensory Leakage” hypothesis (Martino & Marks, 2001) claims that information “leaks” from one sensory channel into another producing strong synsthesia.. Another hypothesis places the mechanisms within specific regions of brain (Martino & Marks, 2001). Together with phenomenon of “strong” spontaneous synesthesia researchers mention that “one can create, identify and appreciate cross-modal connections even if one is not strongly synesthetic”, speaking thus of “weak” synsthesia (Martino and Marks, 2001). Persistent letter-colour associations, or sound – monochrome shade associations are found in common population. (Marks, 1984, 1987). Several theories attribute synsthesia to high level mechanisms which develop over childhood from experience with perception and language (semantic-coding hypothesis (Martino & Marks, 1999), or from previous learning results (Witthoft& Winawer,2013)). The authors believe that neurological links resulting in synesthesia are common in all people. These links determine the majority of intuitive responses and choices that we make. This phenomenon reveals universal “neuro-anatomical tendencies” of human organism with mineute particularities related with cultural causes. It explains the universal language of music, art or dance, as well as more subtle perception similarities such as spatial perception – architectural or landscape, or simply what ancient Far Eastern philosophy called “feng-shui”. Starting from 1991 we carried on a series of experiments to explore synesthesia in audio-visualmotor-temporal modalities, in particular: between visual (V) and motor (M) reaction, between audio (A) and visual (V) reaction, between audio (A) and motor (M) reactions. Starting from 1993 after a prolonged experiment in the “Mir” space station a temporal component was detected. This temporal component (T) is interconnected with the rest, organizing them in MAVT modality. Temporal component is determined by organism reactions to the cyclic environmental changes. Majority of the experiments are described in the doctorate dissertation of the author (Voronov, 2005). This article describes a single experiment exploring AVT (audio-visual-temporal) synesthesia. Methods The idea for the experiment was based on the repeated reaction of the martial arts club members who often declared their unusual psychological states following the training with an intensive method of mass troops preparation of Qi Jiguang (XVI c.). The method consists of 32 consecutive four-line rhymes, which describe a symbol and a fighting technique, to be executed with a partner (Xi Yuntai, 1985).
This study took place in 2007. In the experiment we tested 81 new members, who had never experienced the Qi Jiguang method. They were asked to listen a recorded Qi Jiguang four-line rhymes, which was presented as a “sequence of sounds in unknown language”, so the participants remained unaware about the origin and the language of the rhyme. The recordings in Chinese were made after the original hieroglyphic writings by Mrs. Lu Shuhui - original Chinese speaker, wushu master and PhD. The rhymes were presented to the listeners in the sequential order, i.e. from 1 to 6. Every next session was one week apart from the previous one. The participants were asked to draw a mental image intuitively visualized after listening to the rhyme. Those who could not draw had to explain the visualization with words. Results We could collect data in response to all 32 poems in 41 participants (Table 1), total number of data collection is 368 units, during which 1500 mental images were drawn. The general dynamics of visualizations is presented in Chart 1.
Table 1 Visualization Dynamics after Listening to the Four-line Rhymes of the Qi Jiguan Method Visualization of symbols Described in the poem Related to temporal changes Non visualized Number of participants
1
Session number 3 4
2
5
6
Qty
%
Qty
%
Qty
%
Qty
%
Qty
%
Qty
%
62
76.5
51
68.9
26
43.3
14
24.1
4
9.1
3
7.3
15
18.5
21
28.4
34
56.7
44
75.9
40
90.1
38
92.7
4
5.0
2
2.7
0
-
0
-
0
-
0
-
81
74
60
58
44
Total measurements
41
Below there are three samples of some drawings produced in response of listening of the third Qi Jiguang four-line rhyme (Image 1: (a), (b), (c)). All the pictures contain two symbols: an arch (bridge) and an object turning above the bridge (kite, bird, shining light). The following is the translation of the third Qi Jiguang poem: “In horse stance feel the currents of all the movements, they will descend upon you one by one. Attack, grasp, defend yourself with your arms and you will know the spark of truth, the most important thing is the spontaneity of movements”.
Number of participants (%) 100 90 80 70 60
poem symbol
50
another symbol
40
failed
30
20 10 0 1
2
3
4
5
6
Chart 1. Dynamics of meditative visualization after listening Qi Jiguang four-line poems.
Image 1. The examples of meditative drawings executed after listening the third Qi Jiguang poem by martial art practitioners of different age and educational level: (a) a school boy of 13 years old; (b) “humanitarian” – a theater actor; (c) “scientific” – a physicist engineer.
During the first session 62 participants (76.5%) drew a symbol contained in the poem; 15 participants (18.5%) drew a different symbol. further recognized as related with cyclic environmental changes and particular for this calendar day. Somehow they perceived the symbolism related to that particular day; 4 participants could not execute the task due to not understanding it. During the second session the group who chose the poem mental image got reduced till 68.9%, and those participants who visualized the temporal symbol got increased till 28.4%, 2 individuals could not execute the task. During the third session the group number became almost equal, there were no members who failed the task. Starting from the fourth session we could see increasing number of participants visualizing symbols connected with annual planetary rhythms. Discussion Present study allows us to answer to several fundamental problems related with the nature and origin of synesthesia. First it contributes to the hypothesis regarding the synsthesia as an innate neurophysiological mechanism and not an anomaly present only in some individuals. Still it can appear more or less in different individuals. The difference in the initial response can be explained by individual differences and preferences in the central nervous system and the individual level of adaptation. The study also answers to the question of “educational” and “semantic-coding” in synesthesia, proving it as “a genuine perceptual phenomenon, not an effect based on memory associations from childhood or on vague metaphorical speech” (Ramachandran& Hubbard, 2001)The uniform synesthetic response in Russian population to Chinese-language poems proves that the audio-visual associations are not singularly related with spoken language but with primary phonemes which could possibly represent the basis of ancient languages. Besides representing interest for linguists studying language etymology, this phenomenon brings evidence of existence common neurological structure in every man, providing similar reactions in response of specific stimuli. The method of Qi Jiguang is an example of complex approach involving multi-sensory stimuli. Similar methods were widely used in psychological preparations of military tradition of the Far Eastern Asia (Voronov, 2005). The efficacy and beneficial effects of those methods, such as Qi Jiguang method and methods deriving from it such as taijiquan (Tang Hao & GuLiuxin, 1963), leave no doubts and numerous articles about taiji physiological and psychological effects have been published through the last decade. Still the mechanisms of action remain unclear. During the first sessions the perception of the poem symbol recited in Chinese unknown to listeners resulted in the synesthetic (AV) target of the rhyme. It demonstrates that ancient training systems were based on the empirically discovered synesthetic MAV connections, adding a movement to AV modality, which common action produces uniform and amplified response. Recent studies in
neurobiology demonstrated predetermined neurological location for major part of stored visual information (Shevelev, 2007) allowing hypothesizing the existence of a neurological matrix determining the congruence of various stimuli and its location. Neuro-physiological structure of MAVT-modality is probably based on the links between right hemisphere with left visual area, sensory-motor structures and the planetary rhythms geo-magnetic factors. Another important effect of the method appeared in the gradual shift of visualization images when from perceiving the poem symbol the listeners gradually became more sensitive to the temporal symbol (MAVT synesthesia). This phenomenon allows us to suggest that the complex of physical exercise and poem listening activated some adaptation mechanisms in the practitioners thus facilitating temporal synchronization. Conclusion The MAVT synesthesia phenomenon represented the foundation for a series of large-scale experiments, including on –orbit conditions of the “Mir” space station. Their purpose was to test the efficacy of the MAVT method for the adaptation capacities in the extreme environments. For on-orbit conditions a specific multimedia software “The Sun” based on MAVT synesthesia was designed. It was successfully tested for its effects in the on-board astronauts’ daily adaptation exercises (Voronov, 2001), in applied martial arts (Vornov, 2005) and in other extreme kinds of activity in order to diminish erroroccurrence in the human information-processing system. The mechanisms of multi-modal synsthesia can be used not only for optimization of this system, but as a means to develop human-being cognitive capacities.
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