Veridical Mapping

a person holding up a compass towards the forest

ELI5: Some people have brain wiring that is different called Veridical Mapping. It is different because the process of storing and recalling memories is different. When people have this type of brain wiring they are more likely to have uncommon senses. Examples include seeing far more colors like in tetrachromacy or the many versions of synesthesia where senses are experienced out of line, like smelling colors. Autistics, people with traumatic brain injuries, and others may experience this phenomenon. The chemicals in the brain behave differently, so things that normally happen in one place happen in another, so they happen differently. Storage of information is one process that is greatly helped. Others include spatial imagery mastery (mapping in your head), global interference (focusing control of your senses), and visual perception (finding things quickly). If someone has veridical mapping, they should be supported on their path however that needs to be for their success. 

Veridical Mapping

a human head made out of a line tracing children’s toy

Veridical Perceptual Representation Theory describes a type of structural organization and retrieval (referred to as veridical mapping going forward) that can produce superior output. Those who have this organizational structure commonly have atypical sensory experiences and recall information based on more specified search parameters. They also typically enjoy higher specialized capacities (Cohen, 2015). This capacity is rooted in their ability to move processing power into the realm of the higher order cognitive functions, giving the conscious mind more space to control thought processes and actions. The higher order cognitive functions are then able to better utilize superior isomorphisms which produces faster, more diverse, and more accurate results due to more effective association in memory (Bouvet, et al., 2014). The investigation into veridical mapping as witnessed in autism, savantism, and atypical sensory expressions has uncovered practical applications to enhance the lives of those it touches by providing a unique outlook on the world that can lead to higher diversity and illuminate scientific findings in typical people by providing a contrasted system.

Theory

Imaging has demonstrated that those with veridical mapping can alter the order of processes in their perception, leading to the writing over the experience of an illusion once the brain realized it was tricked almost as if there was a built in conflict resolution expert that performs faster than in neurotypicals. For those with veridical mapping, the posterior parietal cortex provides a space for attempts to resolve events from alternative frames of reference, specifically the somatopic and spaciotopic frames of reference. Essentially, a heightened capacity for sensory data intake, extra filters, and a better storage system lead to several extraordinary sensory experiences and higher performance in certain associated domains (Bufalari, Russo, & Aglioti, 2014). An alternative brain structure exists in some that produces significantly different results in perception and control of perception.

Research on the Spectrum of Expression of Veridical Mapping

scales of justice

Research is revealing that veridical mapping is associated with higher capacities and capabilities, but that this comes at a cost in the form of social or functioning issues. Those who are/have autism, savantism, and atypical sensory experiences have a different experience of consciousness. In addition, if one can master their perception, then they have an increased ability to control their experience of consciousness. Below outlines the research being conducted on the various abilities and how they work.

Autism

Autism is most easily identifiable by social awkwardness, however there are significant differences in the ways neurotypicals and Autistic people respond to the world. Autistic people can perform at the higher peaks of human capacity and more frequently gain savant capacity due to their ability to autonomously guide their cognitions (Mottron, et al., 2013). One of the major underpinnings of autism is the presence of an atypical sensory perception system. This deviation fundamentally alters the experience of reality.

Visual Perception

Autistic people display more purposeful control of their gaze, consciously controlling it more than controls. When searching, autistic people do not look for the object, they look to rule out possibilities and learn to systemize this process. Autistic children also follow gaze and target objects differently than neurotypical children (Sato, et al., 2017). This advanced control of perception is just one of the ways in which Autistic people can intervene in their perception.

Global Interference

rapid river with large rocks

Global interference is the delayed reaction time one experiences when input is being converted into perception. This buffer provided by the unconscious mind prevents one from becoming overwhelmed by the intensity of the unprocessed information. Those with veridical mapping, particularly those who are Autistic do not experience this interference in a normal fashion. This mechanism is part of a quickened reaction time but also leaves one open to overwhelm in the presence of loud or unpredictable stimuli. If control is not developed, it leaves one open to sensory overload and meltdowns, but if mastered, can lead to a superior ability to perceive and differentiate auditory data (Mottron, et al., 2013; Hughes, et al., 2018). However, even if mastered, it can still be overwhelming due to the vast diversity of some situations.

Auditory Perception

Although one may lack global interference, that leads them to having to develop manual control of their perception which has proven to have benefits. Auditory perception can be selectively controlled (Bouvet, et al., 2016). While Autistic people have a higher rate of sensory processing disorder, they do have the capacity to develop a honed sense of focus on the intended stimulus and to find absolute pitch (Mottron, et al., 2013; Hughes, et al., 2018). If one becomes overwhelmed easily by stimulus, it is a majorly beneficial tool to be able to focus in on the intended stimulus..

Memory Creation, Storage, and Recall

         Instead of storing and recalling items based on patterns like a neurotypical, the autistic stores, sorts, and recalls memories based on personalized association (Bouvet, et al., 2014). Plainly put, the more you care about something the easier it is to recall. This explains the capacity to know so much about special interests, the recalling of personal stories as a narrative connection to the present moment, echolalia, and many other similar phenomenon observed in Autistic people. If information can be tied in memory to a personal connection, it sticks better. Echolalia after a memorable moment may as well serve as a sticky note in a good book, or a keyword for quick reference later. This sorting pattern leads to quicker response times – the hypersystemization that autism is also known for. The organization and retrieval patter is a result of or due to altered brain structure (Baron-Cohen & Lombardo, 2017). An atypical search and storage system allows for unexpected results that have the propensity to outperform on some criteria.

Savant Skills

Spatial Imagery

schematics

Veridical mapping presents a superior storage system for spatial reasoning. In head injuries, rarely, but consistently, people develop a capacity for calendar based calculations. They report a “space” in their head seen as external to the body where they experience three-dimensional calendars to aid them. This space also aids people in the playing out of scenarios and building complex structures. It is considered evidence of superior spatial reasoning and is described as running simulations. This allows greater insight and perspective than is normally available to people (Hughes, et al., 2019). Those with veridical mapping perform with higher functioning on spatial imagery measures (Mottron, et al, 2013). This space in the mind, is responsible for playing out cognitive processes that can lead to a different experience.

Hallucinations and Delusions

Hallucinations and delusions present an interesting addition to this discussion because of the way they are perceived in the United States and Western countries that have adopted the culture. In many other cultures and traditions, voices are perceived as friendly or as spirits providing information, with specific rules for interacting with them (Luhrmann, et al., 2015). The atypical and sometimes compartmentalized nature of this structure may explain the presence of delusion as well since information may not travel in the standard fashion. In one case, a woman was diagnosed by the Veteran’s Affairs Administration as having schizophrenia when she actually had veridical mapping giving her a savant level capacity in astrophysics and color hearing synesthesia. Her environment was not prepared to properly identify her needs or even her state, and therefore was unable to help her. She tragically couldn’t process her experience, meshing it with what was supposed to be reality, so she frequently failed to make it through the day (Bouvet, et al., 2017). This is a stark reminder of how easy it is not to understand and carry on anyway, to the drastic detriment of someone who can’t express themselves but has a significant gift to offer if only we can treat them with enough tact and care to let it out. This brilliant woman would have lost her mind had someone not taken the time to make sure she could understand her gift.

Special Interests

train yard with a sunset in the background

Savantism is often witnessed on a topic that a person has great enthusiasm for. Due to the way those with veridical mapping store and retrieve information, the propensity to engage deeply on a topic of interest is heightened. The isomorphs are a powerful mechanism of engagement to reinforce neurocircuitry since irrelevant but related recall information can change thoughts and behaviors in neurotypicals (Cohen, 2018; Schreiter et al., 2019). There are many lessons to be learned and skills to be developed when mastering any special interest, even if it is abstract. These interests can often lead to successful and niche careers if fostered since they have a unique ability or attitude.

Atypical Sensory Perception

         Though veridical mapping is frequently present in Autism since it is a collection of sensory differentials it also appears in less dramatic fashion with a singular expression, which may be mild or sometimes very intense indeed. The following are expressions of sensory perceptions that are linked to veridical mapping.

Synesthesia

Synesthesia is a catch all term for curious sensory manifestations. Common presentations include tasting colors and seeing noises. In all, over 60 varieties of atypical sensory experiences have been observed (Bouvet, et al., 2019). Synesthesia is more common in those with autism but specifically only presents in those with savant capacities (Hughes, et al., 2017). Synesthesia often shows before a savant capacity develops and it has now been documented that the perceptions can be strengthened with training which can lead to notable overperformance on controls for certain tasks (Hughes, et al., 2019). It has been established that LSD can create an experience of synesthesia although it is too early to tell if it is a true or simulated experience (Terhune, et al., 2016). If indeed, there is a way for LSD to induce it, it would seem as if it were biologically readily available, further research aims to investigate these implications.

Tetrachromacy

rainbow over water

There is still debate over what tetrachromacy is, but the rarest and most developed form is a biological occurrence with four cones available (but not always in use, hence the argument over true tetrachromacy) to process colors rather than the standard three. This genetic variation mostly impacts women and is associated with colorblindness as well. In its actualized form, it is the capacity to see an entire array of colors not available to everyone else. It is said it is as many as a million and the shades include metallic hues not normally seen (Jordan, 2020). Coming to understand and master this phenomenon is a special journey not shared by many, so we know very little about it. Since people who have this condition can literally see more than the general population, the ways we interact with them should be borne from respecting their lived experience.

Practice Working with Individuals Who Have This Expression

         Since veridical mapping is an objective differential of experience, simply hearing what society has accepted as fact can be perceived effectively as gaslighting to a person struggling to understand a perfectly normal experience. This difference in perception can cause those who misunderstand and don’t seek to understand to over pathologize and see problems where none exist or where a different issue with a simpler solution may lie.

Validation

Since the people with these experiences are objectively invalidated constantly by the binary and oversimplified dual outlooks prized by American society it is necessary to reinforce their world view as a protective effort. Think back to the physicist savant and the little child who sees colors an adult insists is not there. Their reality is repeatedly denied in favor of keeping other people comfortable with their own limited experience or because someone refuses to believe an experience outside their perception is real or valid. Having an atypical sensory experience can be isolating and make it hard to relate or connect. If these special traits can be identified and fostered from a young age, we can inoculate those who have them from the unsavory social isolation and entrenched deficits that are created by expecting them to be something they simply are not (Thye, et al., 2018). This can give them the confidence necessary to go out into the world and become who they are.

Mastering a condition

lights coming through the clouds

The best practices with exceptional children, considered gifted and disabled alike, is to give them the specific attention they need to thrive. This approach represents the vast range of help that would be necessary to support a child who starts behind due to an uncommon representation that requires extra work to master but can then be developed into a significant gift if fostered properly. Special services could include therapies, out of class groups, special classes, accelerated courses, special projects, mentoring, and specialized hands on experience to promote growth. The support the child receives will greatly impact their success (Hardman, Egan, & Drew, 2017). Since people have the opportunity to make a large impact with children like this, it is vital that they stay up to date.

Keeping an eye on systemic advances

Since this is an emerging phenomenon, if working with the population, there should be special attention paid to staying up on current research. Results can be applied in real time since new results can suggest different interventions that would deliver meaningful change to people’s lives. Work on improving the lives of those who have veridical mapping and its specialized enhancements should be shared to promote the well-being of all who share the same perceptions. Sharing findings and being open to new ideas is important in this stage of discovery. As is listening to the experience of the people who have the conditions.

How to shape a world for autistic people

maps

This part can be hard for people to stomach, but it needs to be investigated. Those with Autism experience atypical sensory perception as outlined above and far beyond. Research is validating that Autistic people believe it is connected to something beyond themselves. Panpsychism is a growingly accepted theory in physics that is validated by ancient cultures around the world, the idea that matter contains consciousness. Adding to the mystery is a qualitative study that seems to validate that the struggle autistic people carry in their lives are remnants of past life wounds. Multicultural Theory dictates that the viewpoints of the people having the experience are to be held with weight. Dismissing them is unacceptable. As we look back through history, people who certainly could have been autistic have been feared for their capacities that others couldn’t understand. Native Americans revered neurodiversity, placing those who had it as closer to Creator and had sensory perception lacking from today’s world that was well documented by oral history. The Maori referred to people who would be classified as Autistic as “in their own space and time.” 

Another point that validates this perspective building on how veridical mapping is confused for schizophrenia, in cultures where the voices are considered helpful not hurtful as is common in the US there isn’t so much harm perpetuated as the result of the voices. It is high time we stopped ignoring people around the world and throughout time that have all agreed that those who are different in this way are not a disorder and a problem. It is time we started listening to their perspective and worked to make them equal partners in the world without commodetizing them. Those who are different have a lot to offer, but they shouldn’t only be seen as worthy based on how they can create wealth for a few under capitalism. 

Conclusion

chevrons in wood

It is a common occurrence in science that we know very little about a system until we have a system that functions slightly differently to help us understand where specific mechanisms occur. Since veridical mapping appears as it could be an alternate yet available pathway, evidenced by its sudden appearance in head traumas, it is a powerful tool for helping us understand neurotypical brains by being able to see where processes differ and where they are superior. If it turns out that this is available to everyone, attempts can be made at finding safe ways to promote the functioning so more people can have access to more intricate features of human existence. Consciousness is defined as being aware of and responding to one’s surroundings, so if people with these abilities learn to control their perceptions, and see things others cannot, then they are by definition reaching a more advanced level of consciousness. The study of veridical mapping offers benefits to all of society by allowing us to understand hidden capacities better, leading to higher participation in society with more advancements, more people reaching their full potential, and illuminating findings in psychology simply by having a comparative group.

References

Baron-Cohen, S., & Lombardo, M. V. (2017). Autism and talent: the cognitive and neural basis of systemizing. Dialogues in clinical neuroscience, 19(4), 345–353.

Bouvet, L., Amsellem, F., Tonus-Vic Dupont, A., Maruani, A., Mathieu, A., Bourgeron, T., . . . Mottron, L. (2019). Synesthesia & Autistic Features in a Large Family: Evidence for spatial imagery as a common factor. Behavioural Brain Research, (362), 266-272. doi:10.1016/j.bbr.2019.01.014

Cohen, J. (2015). Perceptual representation, veridicality, and the interface theory of perception. Psychon Bull Rev 22, 1512–1518. https://doi.org/10.3758/s13423-014-0782-3

Hardman, M.L., Egan M. W.  & Drew, C. J. (2017). Human exceptionality: School, community, and family (12th ed.). Wadsworth: Cengage Learning.

Hughes, J. E. A., Gruffydd, E., Simner, J., & Ward, J. (2019). Synaesthetes show advantages in savant skill acquisition: Training calendar calculation in sequence-space synaesthesia. Cortex, 113, 67–82. 

Hughes, J. A., Simner, J., Baron-Cohen, S., Treffert, D. A., & Ward, J. (2017). Is Synaesthesia More Prevalent in Autism Spectrum Conditions? Only Where There Is Prodigious Talent, Multisensory Research, 30(3-5), 391-408. doi: https://doi.org/10.1163/22134808-00002558

Hughes, Ward, Gruffydd, Baron-Cohen, Smith, Allison, & Simner. (2018). Savant syndrome has a distinct psychological profile in autism. Molecular Autism, 9(1), 1–18. 

Jordan, G. & Mollon, J. (2020). Tetrachromacy: The mysterious case of extra-ordinary color vision. Biomedical Literature. doi:10.3410/f.738801180.793579179

Mottron, L., Bouvet, L., Bonnel, A., Samson, F., Burack, J. A., Dawson, M., & Heaton, P. (2013). Veridical mapping in the development of exceptional autistic abilities. Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews, 37(2), 209–228.

Sato, W., Kochiyama, T., Uono, S., Yoshimura, S., & Toichi, M. (2017). Neural Mechanisms Underlying Conscious and Unconscious Gaze-Triggered Attentional Orienting in Autism Spectrum Disorder. Frontiers in human neuroscience, 11, 339. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnhum.2017.00339

Schreiter, M. L., Chmielewski, W. X., Ward, J., & Beste, C. (2019). How non-veridical perception drives actions in healthy humans: Evidence from synaesthesia. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 375(1791), 20190704. doi:10.1098/rstb.2019.0704

Terhune, D. B., Luke, D. P., Kaelen, M., Bolstridge, M., Feilding, A., Nutt, D., Carhart-Harris, R., & Ward, J. (2016). A placebo-controlled investigation of synaesthesia-like experiences under LSD. Neuropsychologia, 88, 28–34.

Thye, M. D., Bednarz, H. M., Herringshaw, A. J., Sartin, E. B., & Kana, R. K. (2018). The impact of atypical sensory processing on social impairments in autism spectrum disorder. Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience, 29, 151–167.