Werner & the Study of Synaesthesia

Werner & the Study of Synaesthesia By Jessica Mollner & John Petruccelli

Heinz Werner • Born in Vienna, Austria February 11, 1890 • 1908 Entered the Technische Hochsechule to study Engineering • Transferred to the University of Vienna to study Musicology • At University of Vienna became more interested in Philosophy and Psychology • Studied evolutionary and developmental theories focusing in: neo- Kantian and neo-Hegelian view point • Published several articles between 1912 & 1913 on cognitive development and perception. • After graduation and receiving his PhD 1914, spent a brief • period in the army. • Conducted research at University of Munich, on the • aesthetic phenomena.

Key Terms • Chromaesthesia – The study of the correlation a person makes between sound and color • Synaesthesia – A condition in which normally separate senses are not separate • Intersensory Experiences – Feelings or other emotions that are caused by different sensory experiences • Primitiation – When man falls back to his “primitive self” in high-tension situations. The senses often become undifferentiated

Werner’s Experiment Results • Higher pitched music is related to clarity and density • Lower pitched music is related to dullness and looseness • Rhythm affects optical experiences

Karl Zietz’s Experiment • Shows strong visual stimuli to subjects • Immediately afterward, shows strong auditory stimuli to subjects. • The auditory stimuli is either higher toned or lower toned

Participants who heard higher tones described the images as having higher clarity Participants who heard lower tones described the images as more dull “Werner investigated a developmental variant of the unity thesis: he assumed that although adults differentiated the perceptions of different senses, babies perceive the environment undifferentiated.” -Zietz Results of Karl Zietz’s Experiment

Critical Questions • 1. Which colors will the children use based on the sounds they hear? Particularly, will the color change when they look at two visually similar instruments with a different type of sound? • 2. How will the key of the music affect the children’s emotions?

Hypotheses • Hypothesis 1: The children will use brighter colors for major keyed instruments and darker colors for minor keyed instruments. • Hypothesis 2: The children will describe their feelings as happy when the music is played in a major key, and they will describe their emotions as sad when the music is played in a minor key.

Our Experiment • Because of both Werner’s theory of primitiation, along with Karl Zietz’s quotation (“Werner investigated a developmental variant of the unity thesis: he assumed that although adults differentiate the perceptions of different senses, babies perceive the environment undifferentiated”), we wanted to test the idea of synaesthesia on children.

(Continued) • We tested Werner’s theory of synaesthesia through the use of ,music, color and feeling. • We used 1st graders at Holy Family Elementary School between the ages of 6 and 7 as our subjects. • Materials included: Music- Minor & Major Piano, Minor & Major Guitar, Tuba (Major), and Flute (Major); 13 bags: 3 bright crayons & 3 dark crayons; coloring pictures of each instrument. • As the music played, the children could pick one color, and color the instrument according to the way they felt. • Then we would walk around the classroom and record the reasoning that the children gave for why they were coloring their picture the way they were.

Multiple Color Used Results

Single Color Used Results

John’s Flute • “It makes me feel like the sun is shining and I want to dance!”

John’s Tuba • Drew a man flying out of the bell because it sounded like a roller coaster ride. • Used black because “Strong and fast”

Francis • Used yellow for the sun and left it blank in representation of the sky. • Said it sounded really loud and the music was shooting up into heaven.

Results • Our hypothesis was mostly correct!!! • The majority of the major instruments were colored brightly, and both of the minor instruments were colored darkly; however, the major piano was colored darkly. • Most of the children felt happy and positive feelings with the music, but sadder, and more negative feelings with the minor music.

Nature vs. Nurture Line Rousseau Locke Werner Nature Nurture

Things to do Differently • Having a better and more versatile script • Location: smaller environment with more controls • Many kids would copy their neighbors on using more than one color • Many would use the same reasoning • More scientific scale for determining which colors are bright and dark • Time: There needed to be more time to conduct study

Implications of the Study • In order to calm a child, calming music would be affective. • It is important to tell the child to focus on the task at hand, such as listening to the music. • Allow children to exercise their creativity, and appreciate the different ways they see the world. • Major piano – Demonstrated that the color blue had different meanings for different children. This is a good reminder of how children see the world differently, and these differences should be appreciated, respected, and heeded.

THANK YOU!!!!!!

Werner & the Study of Synaesthesia