Creativity, Synesthesia, and Physiognomic Perception

Abstract

Evidence suggests that creative individuals have access to primary process modes of thought. Because such thinking is associative, it is believed to enhance the likelihood of a creative insight. Synesthesia and physiognomic perception are aspects of primary process thinking. Synesthesia involves a unity between or among different sensory modalities. Physiognomic perception involves a fusion of affect and perception. We investigated the relation between creativity and synesthetic tendencies and physiognomic perception. The Remote Associates Test (S. A. Mednick & M. P. Mednick, 1967) was used to measure creative potential. Similarity judgments were made between auditory stimuli (pure tones and pure vowel sounds) and colors to measure synesthetic-like phenomena. Colors were rated using adjectives with emotional or evaluative connotations to measure physiognomic perception. More creative participants differed significantly from less creative participants on their ratings, with more creative participants exhibiting stronger associations between colors and pure tones, vowels, and emotional terms.