A longitudinal study of grapheme-color synesthesia in childhood:6/7 years to 10/11 years

Grapheme-colour synaesthesia is a condition characterised by enduring and consistent associations between letter/digits and colours. This study is the continuation of longitudinal research begun by Simner, Harrold, Creed, Monro and Foulkes (2009) which aimed to explore the development of this condition in real time within a childhood population. In that earlier study we randomly sampled over 600 children and tested them aged 6/7 years and 7/8 years. We identified the child synaesthetes within that cohort and measured their development over 1 year, in comparison to a group of nonsynaesthetic children with both average and superior memories. We were able to show the beginnings of a developmental progression in which synaesthetic associations (e.g. A = red) mature over time from relatively chaotic pairings into a system of fixed consistent associations. In the current study we return to this same population three years later when participants are now 10/11 years. We used the same paired-association memory task to determine the synaesthetic status of our participants and to also establish synaesthetes’ inventories of grapheme-colour associations. We compared their inventories to those from age 6/7 year and 7/8 years to examine how synaesthesia matures over time. Together with earlier findings, our study shows that grapheme-colour synaesthesia emerges with a protracted lineal trajectory, with 34% of letters/digits fixed at age 6/7 years, 48% fixed at 7/8 years and 71% fixed at 10/11 years. We also show several cases where synaesthesia is not developing in the same time-frame as peers, either because it has died out at an older age, or because it was slower to develop than other cases. Our study paints the first picture of the emergence of synaesthesia in real-time over four years within a randomly sampled population of child synaesthetes

Color and texture associations in voice-induced synesthesia

Voice-induced synesthesia, a form of synesthesia in which synesthetic perceptions are induced by the sounds of people's voices, appears to be relatively rare and has not been systematically studied. In this study we investigated the synesthetic color and visual texture perceptions experienced in response to different types of “voice quality” (e.g., nasal, whisper, falsetto). Experiences of three different groups—self-reported voice synesthetes, phoneticians, and controls—were compared using both qualitative and quantitative analysis in a study conducted online. Whilst, in the qualitative analysis, synesthetes used more color and texture terms to describe voices than either phoneticians or controls, only weak differences, and many similarities, between groups were found in the quantitative analysis. Notable consistent results between groups were the matching of higher speech fundamental frequencies with lighter and redder colors, the matching of “whispery” voices with smoke-like textures, and the matching of “harsh” and “creaky” voices with textures resembling dry cracked soil. These data are discussed in the light of current thinking about definitions and categorizations of synesthesia, especially in cases where individuals apparently have a range of different synesthetic inducers

How Middlesex County was Settled with Farmers, Artisans, and Capitalists: An Account of the Canada Land Company in Promoting Emigration from the British Isles in the 1830s through the 1850s

The need to attract settlers to Southwestern Ontario in the 1830s resulted, at least in part, from a growing fear that if the land bordering Lake Erie remained largely unoccupied it could be absorbed into regions to the south of the Great Lakes and ultimately become part of the United States. Indeed, this fear was not unfounded. As late as 1827 the overall population of Middlesex County, which at the time reached Lake Erie and was somewhat larger in area than today, was only 9,838 (History of the County of Middlesex, 1889). In addition, there was considerable sympathy among certain segments of the population for a republican form of government similar to that which had been established in the United States following the American Revolution. In what follows, we discuss the purpose of The Canada Land Company, the role played by John Galt in organizing the Company, the nature of the immigrants desired by the Crown, and the methods used by the Company to attract these immigrants. To fully understand the experiences of the immigrants who settled this area we also describe the sea voyage for those who travelled in steerage as well as for those with sufficient funds to travel as cabin passengers. We then conclude with the arrangements made by the Crown and the Company to assist the newly arrived immigrants to find jobs and/or to purchase land.https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/historybooks/1002/thumbnail.jp

End of the Great War in 1918 and its Impact on London, Ontario: Prelude, Celebrations and Aftermath

November 11, 1918, marked the end of hostilities in what was initially called the “Great War” and is now known as World War I. The purpose of this publication is to review the events that took place immediately before, during and after the November 11th celebrations in London, Ontario, as recorded largely in the London Free Press and the London Advertiser. The Prelude focuses on how the approaching armistice was viewed, the nature of the events that unfolded before the armistice document was signed, and the “false armistice celebrations” that took place in London on November 7th. In the Aftermath we discuss a number of local issues that arose shortly after November 11th that included among others, how to memorialize those who perished during the war, how to repay the voluminous federal war debt, and how to deal with those who evaded conscription as required by the 1917 Military Service Act. Sandwiched between these two sections is an account of the armistice celebrations that occurred during the week of November 11th. Contents Abstract. Pg.1 Prelude. Pg.1 a) Armistice Delegation. Pg.4 b) The False Armistice. Pg.7 c) Cause and Outcome of the False Armistice. Pg.10 Celebrations during the week of November 11th. Pg.12 Aftermath. Pg.13 a) War Debt and Bond Drives. Pg.13 b) Demobilization. Pg.23 c) Treatment of Defaulters and Deserters. Pg.26 d) Continued Publication of Casualty Lists. Pg.29 e) Caring for the Wounded. Pg.30 f) Memorials. Pg.32 Appendix. Pg.43 End Notes. Pg.49https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/historybooks/1004/thumbnail.jp

The Forgotten Third Post-War Berlin Crisis: The Mobilization of the Reserves

Two major crises occurred during the occupation of Berlin shortly after the end of World War II, both of which have been well documented and are summarized below. There was a third crisis, however, that has been largely forgotten but produced a substantial alteration in the organization of the National Guard, the Army Ready Reserve units, and the authority given to the president to mobilize the reserves. The purpose of this report is to review the events that surrounded this third crisis and how the impact of these events may have contributed to the Cuban Missile Crisis that took place in October, 1962

Racial Segregation in the Rise and Fall of 22nd Street South: The Unfolding Story of the Historic Black Business Recreational District in St. Petersburg, Florida

A clause entitled “Segregation of Races” was inserted in the St. Petersburg City Charter in 1931. It wasn’t until 1936, however, that the clause gave rise to the first segregated housing zone within the city. In this report we provide evidence to suggest that it was the Federal Government and not the St. Petersburg city council, as has been claimed, that was responsible for the implementation of this clause and the segregated commercial district that developed along 22nd Street South. We then document the rise of this commercial district and present further evidence that city council showed little interest in preventing white store owners from operating businesses in the district long past the time when the segregation clause should have prevented them from doing so. Finally, we examine the reasons for the demise of the district in light of federal legislation that banned segregation in the 1960s, and the suggestion that highway I-275 may also have played a role in contributing to this demise

Why Did the Signers of the Declaration of Independence Engage in this Treasonous Act?

The penalty for committing an act of treason against the Crown in 1775, as read by British judges sentencing Irish rebels, was as follows: You are to be drawn on hurdles to the place of execution, where you are to be hanged by the neck, but not until you are dead; for, while you are still living your bodies are to be taken down, your bowels torn out and burned before your faces, your heads then cut off, and your bodies divided each into four quarters, and your heads and quarters to be then at the King’s disposal; and may the Almighty God have mercy on your souls.1 Those who signed the Declaration of Independence were well aware of the fact that, by virtue of their signatures, they would be endorsing a treasonous act and, if caught, their punishment would be as described above. Because of the horrendous nature of this punishment, it is not surprising that over the years the 56 delegates who signed this document were often said to be among the most heroic of the early patriots. The evidence to be reported, however, shows that the events that took place prior to the issuing of the Declaration may have encouraged the signers to voluntarily engage in this act without any fear of punishment. Some further evidence reported below also provides a possible answer to a question raised by Meier (1997) who asked why the delegates even bothered to sign the Declaration

A Brief History of the Temperance Movement in London and the Surrounding Area

At one time in the mid-to-late 1800s, there were as many as 11 temp- erance lodges in London, Ontario along with a local chapter of the Woman\u27s Christian Temperance Union (WCTU). The majority of the lodges, which typically met on a weekly basis, represented three of the major national temperance organizations in North America: Sons of Temperance, Independent Order of Good Templars, and the British American Order of Good Templars which was founded here in London. The aim of this report is to outline the nature and accomplishments of these lodges and their national affiliates along with the WCTU. The first part of the report will review the need for such organizations while the second part will focus on the lodges and their membership requirements, rituals, etc. The third part will deal with the WCTU and a petition approved during their fourth provincial convention, held in London in 1881, which had a significant impact on the Ontario school curriculum. The final sections will consider the outreach program of the lodges and the overall impact of the temperance movement itself in promoting two provincially endorsed prohibition eras in London and the surrounding community, the first around 1885 and the second in 1916