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Caprini F, Zhao S, Chait M, Agus T, Pomper U, Tierney A, Dick F. Generalization of auditory expertise in audio engineers and instrumental musicians. Cognition 2024; 244:105696. [PMID: 38160651 DOI: 10.1016/j.cognition.2023.105696] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/02/2021] [Revised: 12/04/2023] [Accepted: 12/13/2023] [Indexed: 01/03/2024]
Abstract
From auditory perception to general cognition, the ability to play a musical instrument has been associated with skills both related and unrelated to music. However, it is unclear if these effects are bound to the specific characteristics of musical instrument training, as little attention has been paid to other populations such as audio engineers and designers whose auditory expertise may match or surpass that of musicians in specific auditory tasks or more naturalistic acoustic scenarios. We explored this possibility by comparing students of audio engineering (n = 20) to matched conservatory-trained instrumentalists (n = 24) and to naive controls (n = 20) on measures of auditory discrimination, auditory scene analysis, and speech in noise perception. We found that audio engineers and performing musicians had generally lower psychophysical thresholds than controls, with pitch perception showing the largest effect size. Compared to controls, audio engineers could better memorise and recall auditory scenes composed of non-musical sounds, whereas instrumental musicians performed best in a sustained selective attention task with two competing streams of tones. Finally, in a diotic speech-in-babble task, musicians showed lower signal-to-noise-ratio thresholds than both controls and engineers; however, a follow-up online study did not replicate this musician advantage. We also observed differences in personality that might account for group-based self-selection biases. Overall, we showed that investigating a wider range of forms of auditory expertise can help us corroborate (or challenge) the specificity of the advantages previously associated with musical instrument training.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francesco Caprini
- Department of Psychological Sciences, Birkbeck, University of London, UK.
| | - Sijia Zhao
- Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, UK
| | - Maria Chait
- University College London (UCL) Ear Institute, UK
| | - Trevor Agus
- School of Arts, English and Languages, Queen's University Belfast, UK
| | - Ulrich Pomper
- Department of Cognition, Emotion, and Methods in Psychology, Universität Wien, Austria
| | - Adam Tierney
- Department of Psychological Sciences, Birkbeck, University of London, UK
| | - Fred Dick
- Department of Experimental Psychology, University College London (UCL), UK
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2
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Wang X, Ren X, Wang S, Yang D, Liu S, Li M, Yang M, Liu Y, Xu Q. Validation and applicability of the music ear test on a large Chinese sample. PLoS One 2024; 19:e0297073. [PMID: 38324549 PMCID: PMC10849222 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0297073] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/23/2023] [Accepted: 12/23/2023] [Indexed: 02/09/2024] Open
Abstract
In the context of extensive disciplinary integration, researchers worldwide have increasingly focused on musical ability. However, despite the wide range of available music ability tests, there remains a dearth of validated tests applicable to China. The Music Ear Test (MET) is a validated scale that has been reported to be potentially suitable for cross-cultural distribution in a Chinese sample. However, no formal translation and cross-cultural reliability/validity tests have been conducted for the Chinese population in any of the studies using the Music Ear Test. This study aims to assess the factor structure, convergence, predictiveness, and validity of the Chinese version of the MET, based on a large sample of Chinese participants (n≥1235). Furthermore, we seek to determine whether variables such as music training level, response pattern, and demographic data such as gender and age have intervening effects on the results. In doing so, we aim to provide clear indications of musical aptitude and expertise by validating an existing instrument, the Music Ear Test, and provide a valid method for further understanding the musical abilities of the Chinese sample.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaoyu Wang
- Music College, Catholic University of Daegu, Gyeongsan-si, Gyeongsangbuk-do, Rep. of Korea
| | - Xiubo Ren
- Music College, Catholic University of Daegu, Gyeongsan-si, Gyeongsangbuk-do, Rep. of Korea
| | - Shidan Wang
- Music College, Catholic University of Daegu, Gyeongsan-si, Gyeongsangbuk-do, Rep. of Korea
| | - Dan Yang
- Music College, Catholic University of Daegu, Gyeongsan-si, Gyeongsangbuk-do, Rep. of Korea
| | - Shilin Liu
- Music College, Catholic University of Daegu, Gyeongsan-si, Gyeongsangbuk-do, Rep. of Korea
| | - Meihui Li
- Music College, Catholic University of Daegu, Gyeongsan-si, Gyeongsangbuk-do, Rep. of Korea
| | - Mingyi Yang
- Music College, Catholic University of Daegu, Gyeongsan-si, Gyeongsangbuk-do, Rep. of Korea
| | - Yintong Liu
- Music College, Catholic University of Daegu, Gyeongsan-si, Gyeongsangbuk-do, Rep. of Korea
| | - Qiujian Xu
- Music College, Catholic University of Daegu, Gyeongsan-si, Gyeongsangbuk-do, Rep. of Korea
- School of Arts and Design, Yanshan University, Qinhuangdao, China
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3
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T. Zaatar M, Alhakim K, Enayeh M, Tamer R. The transformative power of music: Insights into neuroplasticity, health, and disease. Brain Behav Immun Health 2024; 35:100716. [PMID: 38178844 PMCID: PMC10765015 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbih.2023.100716] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/07/2023] [Revised: 12/04/2023] [Accepted: 12/08/2023] [Indexed: 01/06/2024] Open
Abstract
Music is a universal language that can elicit profound emotional and cognitive responses. In this literature review, we explore the intricate relationship between music and the brain, from how it is decoded by the nervous system to its therapeutic potential in various disorders. Music engages a diverse network of brain regions and circuits, including sensory-motor processing, cognitive, memory, and emotional components. Music-induced brain network oscillations occur in specific frequency bands, and listening to one's preferred music can grant easier access to these brain functions. Moreover, music training can bring about structural and functional changes in the brain, and studies have shown its positive effects on social bonding, cognitive abilities, and language processing. We also discuss how music therapy can be used to retrain impaired brain circuits in different disorders. Understanding how music affects the brain can open up new avenues for music-based interventions in healthcare, education, and wellbeing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Muriel T. Zaatar
- Department of Biological and Physical Sciences, American University in Dubai, Dubai, United Arab Emirates
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Liu Y, Liu X, Zheng M. A correlation study of music training, adult attachment, and personality traits using a large-sample questionnaire. Front Psychol 2023; 14:1218848. [PMID: 37691808 PMCID: PMC10484518 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1218848] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/08/2023] [Accepted: 07/31/2023] [Indexed: 09/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction Music training can provide benefits to psychological health and is strongly associated with adult attachment style and personality traits through bidirectional interactions. Methods A large sample including 10,191 Chinese musicians and non-musicians completed the Relationship Questionnaire and Big-Five Personality Inventory. Results Connections between music training, adult attachment, and personality were analyzed with the following results: (1) personality traits were correlated with attachment dimensions, with positive correlations between secure attachment and extroversion and between dismissing attachment and neuroticism; (2) music training was connected with the secure and fearful-avoidant attachment dimensions, which complemented the effect of educational level in the preoccupied and dismissing dimensions; (3) music training enhanced extroversion, openness, agreeableness, and conscientiousness, which interacted to affect extroversion and openness by gender; and (4) music training enhanced the regression of extroversion to preoccupied and secure attachments, and the regression of openness to preoccupied attachment. Discussion Conclusively, music training enhanced the connection between secure attachment and positive personality traits and regulated the correlation between insecure attachment and neuroticism. This analysis provides a large sample of statistical and practical evidence for the clinical practices of mental health and the educational and music training practices of co-cultivating cultural knowledge and artistic quality.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ying Liu
- School of Music, Southwest University, Chongqing, China
- Mental Health Institute of Chinese Music, Chongqing, China
| | - Xiaolin Liu
- School of Music, Southwest University, Chongqing, China
- Mental Health Institute of Chinese Music, Chongqing, China
| | - Maoping Zheng
- School of Music, Southwest University, Chongqing, China
- Mental Health Institute of Chinese Music, Chongqing, China
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5
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Correia AI, Vincenzi M, Vanzella P, Pinheiro AP, Schellenberg EG, Lima CF. Individual differences in musical ability among adults with no music training. Q J Exp Psychol (Hove) 2023; 76:1585-1598. [PMID: 36114609 PMCID: PMC10280665 DOI: 10.1177/17470218221128557] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/12/2022] [Revised: 07/06/2022] [Accepted: 07/22/2022] [Indexed: 09/26/2023]
Abstract
Good musical abilities are typically considered to be a consequence of music training, such that they are studied in samples of formally trained individuals. Here, we asked what predicts musical abilities in the absence of music training. Participants with no formal music training (N = 190) completed the Goldsmiths Musical Sophistication Index, measures of personality and cognitive ability, and the Musical Ear Test (MET). The MET is an objective test of musical abilities that provides a Total score and separate scores for its two subtests (Melody and Rhythm), which require listeners to determine whether standard and comparison auditory sequences are identical. MET scores had no associations with personality traits. They correlated positively, however, with informal musical experience and cognitive abilities. Informal musical experience was a better predictor of Melody than of Rhythm scores. Some participants (12%) had Total scores higher than the mean from a sample of musically trained individuals (⩾6 years of formal training), tested previously by Correia et al. Untrained participants with particularly good musical abilities (top 25%, n = 51) scored higher than trained participants on the Rhythm subtest and similarly on the Melody subtest. High-ability untrained participants were also similar to trained ones in cognitive ability, but lower in the personality trait openness-to-experience. These results imply that formal music training is not required to achieve musician-like performance on tests of musical and cognitive abilities. They also suggest that informal music practice and music-related predispositions should be considered in studies of musical expertise.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ana Isabel Correia
- Centro de Investigação e Intervenção
Social (CIS-IUL), Instituto Universitário de Lisboa (ISCTE-IUL), Lisboa,
Portugal
| | - Margherita Vincenzi
- Centro de Investigação e Intervenção
Social (CIS-IUL), Instituto Universitário de Lisboa (ISCTE-IUL), Lisboa,
Portugal
- Department of General Psychology,
University of Padova, Padova, Italy
| | - Patrícia Vanzella
- Center for Mathematics, Computing and
Cognition, Universidade Federal do ABC, Santo Andre, Brazil
| | - Ana P Pinheiro
- CICPSI, Faculdade de Psicologia,
Universidade de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - E Glenn Schellenberg
- Centro de Investigação e Intervenção
Social (CIS-IUL), Instituto Universitário de Lisboa (ISCTE-IUL), Lisboa,
Portugal
- Department of Psychology, University of
Toronto Mississauga, Mississauga, ON, Canada
| | - César F Lima
- Centro de Investigação e Intervenção
Social (CIS-IUL), Instituto Universitário de Lisboa (ISCTE-IUL), Lisboa,
Portugal
- Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience,
University College London, London, UK
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6
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Gustavson DE, Coleman PL, Wang Y, Nitin R, Petty LE, Bush CT, Mosing MA, Wesseldijk LW, Ullén F, Below JE, Cox NJ, Gordon RL. Exploring the genetics of rhythmic perception and musical engagement in the Vanderbilt Online Musicality Study. Ann N Y Acad Sci 2023; 1521:140-154. [PMID: 36718543 PMCID: PMC10038917 DOI: 10.1111/nyas.14964] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/01/2023]
Abstract
Uncovering the genetic underpinnings of musical ability and engagement is a foundational step for exploring their wide-ranging associations with cognition, health, and neurodevelopment. Prior studies have focused on using twin and family designs, demonstrating moderate heritability of musical phenotypes. The current study used genome-wide complex trait analysis and polygenic score (PGS) approaches utilizing genotype data to examine genetic influences on two musicality traits (rhythmic perception and music engagement) in N = 1792 unrelated adults in the Vanderbilt Online Musicality Study. Meta-analyzed heritability estimates (including a replication sample of Swedish individuals) were 31% for rhythmic perception and 12% for self-reported music engagement. A PGS derived from a recent study on beat synchronization ability predicted both rhythmic perception (β = 0.11) and music engagement (β = 0.19) in our sample, suggesting that genetic influences underlying self-reported beat synchronization ability also influence individuals' rhythmic discrimination aptitude and the degree to which they engage in music. Cross-trait analyses revealed a modest contribution of PGSs from several nonmusical traits (from the cognitive, personality, and circadian chronotype domains) to individual differences in musicality (β = -0.06 to 0.07). This work sheds light on the complex relationship between the genetic architecture of musical rhythm processing, beat synchronization, music engagement, and other nonmusical traits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel E Gustavson
- Institute for Behavioral Genetics, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, Colorado, USA
- Vanderbilt Genetics Institute, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee, USA
| | - Peyton L Coleman
- School of Medicine, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee, USA
| | - Youjia Wang
- Department of Otolaryngology - Head & Neck Surgery, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee, USA
- College of Medicine, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA
| | - Rachana Nitin
- Department of Otolaryngology - Head & Neck Surgery, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee, USA
- Vanderbilt Brain Institute, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee, USA
| | - Lauren E Petty
- Vanderbilt Genetics Institute, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee, USA
| | - Catherine T Bush
- Department of Hearing and Speech Sciences, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee, USA
| | - Miriam A Mosing
- Department of Neuroscience, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden
- Department of Cognitive Neuropsychology, Max Planck Institute for Empirical Aesthetics, Frankfurt, Germany
- Melbourne School of Psychological Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry, and Health Sciences, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Laura W Wesseldijk
- Department of Neuroscience, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden
- Department of Cognitive Neuropsychology, Max Planck Institute for Empirical Aesthetics, Frankfurt, Germany
- Melbourne School of Psychological Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry, and Health Sciences, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
- Department of Psychiatry, Amsterdam UMC, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Fredrik Ullén
- Department of Neuroscience, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden
- Department of Cognitive Neuropsychology, Max Planck Institute for Empirical Aesthetics, Frankfurt, Germany
| | - Jennifer E Below
- Vanderbilt Genetics Institute, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee, USA
- Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee, USA
| | - Nancy J Cox
- Vanderbilt Genetics Institute, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee, USA
- Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee, USA
| | - Reyna L Gordon
- Vanderbilt Genetics Institute, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee, USA
- Department of Otolaryngology - Head & Neck Surgery, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee, USA
- Department of Psychology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee, USA
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7
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Klarlund M, Brattico E, Pearce M, Wu Y, Vuust P, Overgaard M, Du Y. Worlds apart? Testing the cultural distance hypothesis in music perception of Chinese and Western listeners. Cognition 2023; 235:105405. [PMID: 36807031 DOI: 10.1016/j.cognition.2023.105405] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/09/2022] [Revised: 02/02/2023] [Accepted: 02/08/2023] [Indexed: 02/21/2023]
Abstract
According to the cultural distance hypothesis (CDH), individuals learn culture-specific statistical structures in music as internal stylistic models and use these models in predictive processing of music, with musical structures closer to their home culture being easier to predict. This cultural distance effect may be affected by domain-specific (musical ability) and domain-general individual characteristics (openness, implicit cultural bias). To test the CDH and its modulation by individual characteristics, we recruited Chinese and Western adults to categorize stylistically ambiguous and unambiguous Chinese and Western melodies by cultural origin. Categorization performance was better for unambiguous (low CD) than ambiguous melodies (high CD), and for in-culture melodies regardless of ambiguity for both groups, providing evidence for CDH. Musical ability, but not other traits, correlated positively with melody categorization, suggesting that musical ability refines internal stylistic models. Therefore, both cultures show musical enculturation in their home culture with a modulatory effect of individual musical ability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mathias Klarlund
- CAS Key Laboratory of Behavioral Science, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China; Sino-Danish College, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China; Center for Music in the Brain, Department of Clinical Medicine, Aarhus University & Royal Academy of Music Aarhus/Aalborg, Aarhus, Denmark.
| | - Elvira Brattico
- Center for Music in the Brain, Department of Clinical Medicine, Aarhus University & Royal Academy of Music Aarhus/Aalborg, Aarhus, Denmark; Department of Education, Psychology, Communication, University of Bari Aldo Moro, Italy
| | - Marcus Pearce
- Center for Music in the Brain, Department of Clinical Medicine, Aarhus University & Royal Academy of Music Aarhus/Aalborg, Aarhus, Denmark; Music Cognition Lab, Queen Mary University of London, London, England, UK
| | - Yiyang Wu
- CAS Key Laboratory of Behavioral Science, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China; Department of Psychology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Peter Vuust
- Center for Music in the Brain, Department of Clinical Medicine, Aarhus University & Royal Academy of Music Aarhus/Aalborg, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Morten Overgaard
- Center for Functionally Integrative Neuroscience, Dept of Clinical Medicine, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Yi Du
- CAS Key Laboratory of Behavioral Science, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China; Department of Psychology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China; CAS Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Shanghai, China; Chinese Institute for Brain Research, Beijing, China.
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8
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Witek MAG, Matthews T, Bodak R, Blausz MW, Penhune V, Vuust P. Musicians and non-musicians show different preference profiles for single chords of varying harmonic complexity. PLoS One 2023; 18:e0281057. [PMID: 36730271 PMCID: PMC9894397 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0281057] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/28/2022] [Accepted: 01/16/2023] [Indexed: 02/03/2023] Open
Abstract
The inverted U hypothesis in music predicts that listeners prefer intermediate levels of complexity. However, the shape of the liking response to harmonic complexity and the effect of musicianship remains unclear. Here, we tested whether the relationship between liking and harmonic complexity in single chords shows an inverted U shape and whether this U shape is different for musicians and non-musicians. We recorded these groups' liking ratings for four levels of harmonic complexity, indexed by their level of acoustic roughness, as well as several measures of inter-individual difference. Results showed that there is an inverted U-shaped relationship between harmonic complexity and liking in both musicians and non-musicians, but that the shape of the U is different for the two groups. Non-musicians' U is more left-skewed, with peak liking for low harmonic complexity, while musicians' U is more right-skewed, with highest ratings for medium and low complexity. Furthermore, musicians who showed greater liking for medium compared to low complexity chords reported higher levels of active musical engagement and higher levels of openness to experience. This suggests that a combination of practical musical experience and personality is reflected in musicians' inverted U-shaped preference response to harmonic complexity in chords.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria A. G. Witek
- Department of Music, School of Languages, Cultures, Art History and Music, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, United Kingdom
- * E-mail:
| | - Tomas Matthews
- Center for Music in the Brain, Aarhus University and Royal Academy of Music, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Rebeka Bodak
- Center for Music in the Brain, Aarhus University and Royal Academy of Music, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Marta W. Blausz
- Department of Psychology, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark
| | - Virginia Penhune
- Department of Psychology, Concordia University, Montreal, Canada
| | - Peter Vuust
- Center for Music in the Brain, Aarhus University and Royal Academy of Music, Aarhus, Denmark
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9
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O’Connell SR, Nave-Blodgett JE, Wilson GE, Hannon EE, Snyder JS. Elements of musical and dance sophistication predict musical groove perception. Front Psychol 2022; 13:998321. [PMID: 36467160 PMCID: PMC9712211 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.998321] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/26/2022] [Accepted: 10/21/2022] [Indexed: 11/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Listening to groovy music is an enjoyable experience and a common human behavior in some cultures. Specifically, many listeners agree that songs they find to be more familiar and pleasurable are more likely to induce the experience of musical groove. While the pleasurable and dance-inducing effects of musical groove are omnipresent, we know less about how subjective feelings toward music, individual musical or dance experiences, or more objective musical perception abilities are correlated with the way we experience groove. Therefore, the present study aimed to evaluate how musical and dance sophistication relates to musical groove perception. One-hundred 24 participants completed an online study during which they rated 20 songs, considered high- or low-groove, and completed the Goldsmiths Musical Sophistication Index, the Goldsmiths Dance Sophistication Index, the Beat and Meter Sensitivity Task, and a modified short version of the Profile for Music Perception Skills. Our results reveal that measures of perceptual abilities, musical training, and social dancing predicted the difference in groove rating between high- and low-groove music. Overall, these findings support the notion that listeners' individual experiences and predispositions may shape their perception of musical groove, although other causal directions are also possible. This research helps elucidate the correlates and possible causes of musical groove perception in a wide range of listeners.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samantha R. O’Connell
- Caruso Department of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Keck School of Medicine of USC, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, United States
| | | | - Grace E. Wilson
- Department of Psychology, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, NV, United States
| | - Erin E. Hannon
- Department of Psychology, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, NV, United States
| | - Joel S. Snyder
- Department of Psychology, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, NV, United States
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10
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Mednicoff SD, Barashy S, Gonzales D, Benning SD, Snyder JS, Hannon EE. Auditory affective processing, musicality, and the development of misophonic reactions. Front Neurosci 2022; 16:924806. [PMID: 36213735 PMCID: PMC9537735 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2022.924806] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2022] [Accepted: 09/02/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Misophonia can be characterized both as a condition and as a negative affective experience. Misophonia is described as feeling irritation or disgust in response to hearing certain sounds, such as eating, drinking, gulping, and breathing. Although the earliest misophonic experiences are often described as occurring during childhood, relatively little is known about the developmental pathways that lead to individual variation in these experiences. This literature review discusses evidence of misophonic reactions during childhood and explores the possibility that early heightened sensitivities to both positive and negative sounds, such as to music, might indicate a vulnerability for misophonia and misophonic reactions. We will review when misophonia may develop, how it is distinguished from other auditory conditions (e.g., hyperacusis, phonophobia, or tinnitus), and how it relates to developmental disorders (e.g., autism spectrum disorder or Williams syndrome). Finally, we explore the possibility that children with heightened musicality could be more likely to experience misophonic reactions and develop misophonia.
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11
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Investigating the Relationship Between Childhood Music Practice and Pitch-Naming Ability in Professional Musicians and a Population-Based Twin Sample. Twin Res Hum Genet 2022; 25:140-148. [PMID: 35969033 DOI: 10.1017/thg.2022.29] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
The relationship between pitch-naming ability and childhood onset of music training is well established and thought to reflect both genetic predisposition and music training during a critical period. However, the importance of the amount of practice during this period has not been investigated. In a population sample of twins (N = 1447, 39% male, 367 complete twin pairs) and a sample of 290 professional musicians (51% male), we investigated the role of genes, age of onset of playing music and accumulated childhood practice on pitch-naming ability. A significant correlation between pitch-naming scores for monozygotic (r = .27, p < .001) but not dizygotic twin pairs (r = -.04, p = .63) supported the role of genetic factors. In professional musicians, the amount of practice accumulated between ages 6 and 11 predicted pitch-naming accuracy (p = .025). In twins, age of onset was no longer a significant predictor once practice was considered. Combined, these findings are in line with the notion that pitch-naming ability is associated with both genetic factors and amount of early practice, rather than just age of onset per se. This may reflect a dose-response relation between practice and pitch-naming ability in genetically predisposed individuals. Alternatively, children who excel at pitch-naming may have an increased tendency to practice.
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12
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Gray R, Sarampalis A, Başkent D, Harding EE. Working-Memory, Alpha-Theta Oscillations and Musical Training in Older Age: Research Perspectives for Speech-on-speech Perception. Front Aging Neurosci 2022; 14:806439. [PMID: 35645774 PMCID: PMC9131017 DOI: 10.3389/fnagi.2022.806439] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2021] [Accepted: 03/24/2022] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
During the normal course of aging, perception of speech-on-speech or “cocktail party” speech and use of working memory (WM) abilities change. Musical training, which is a complex activity that integrates multiple sensory modalities and higher-order cognitive functions, reportedly benefits both WM performance and speech-on-speech perception in older adults. This mini-review explores the relationship between musical training, WM and speech-on-speech perception in older age (> 65 years) through the lens of the Ease of Language Understanding (ELU) model. Linking neural-oscillation literature associating speech-on-speech perception and WM with alpha-theta oscillatory activity, we propose that two stages of speech-on-speech processing in the ELU are underpinned by WM-related alpha-theta oscillatory activity, and that effects of musical training on speech-on-speech perception may be reflected in these frequency bands among older adults.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ryan Gray
- Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Groningen, Groningen, Netherlands
- Research School of Behavioural and Cognitive Neurosciences, University of Groningen, Groningen, Netherlands
- Department of Psychology, Centre for Applied Behavioural Sciences, School of Social Sciences, Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
| | - Anastasios Sarampalis
- Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Groningen, Groningen, Netherlands
- Research School of Behavioural and Cognitive Neurosciences, University of Groningen, Groningen, Netherlands
| | - Deniz Başkent
- Research School of Behavioural and Cognitive Neurosciences, University of Groningen, Groningen, Netherlands
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology, University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, Groningen, Netherlands
| | - Eleanor E. Harding
- Research School of Behavioural and Cognitive Neurosciences, University of Groningen, Groningen, Netherlands
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology, University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, Groningen, Netherlands
- *Correspondence: Eleanor E. Harding,
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13
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You got rhythm, or more: The multidimensionality of rhythmic abilities. Atten Percept Psychophys 2022; 84:1370-1392. [PMID: 35437703 PMCID: PMC9614186 DOI: 10.3758/s13414-022-02487-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 03/25/2022] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Humans have a remarkable capacity for perceiving and producing rhythm. Rhythmic competence is often viewed as a single concept, with participants who perform more or less accurately on a single rhythm task. However, research is revealing numerous sub-processes and competencies involved in rhythm perception and production, which can be selectively impaired or enhanced. To investigate whether different patterns of performance emerge across tasks and individuals, we measured performance across a range of rhythm tasks from different test batteries. Distinct performance patterns could potentially reveal separable rhythmic competencies that may draw on distinct neural mechanisms. Participants completed nine rhythm perception and production tasks selected from the Battery for the Assessment of Auditory Sensorimotor and Timing Abilities (BAASTA), the Beat Alignment Test (BAT), the Beat-Based Advantage task (BBA), and two tasks from the Burgundy best Musical Aptitude Test (BbMAT). Principal component analyses revealed clear separation of task performance along three main dimensions: production, beat-based rhythm perception, and sequence memory-based rhythm perception. Hierarchical cluster analyses supported these results, revealing clusters of participants who performed selectively more or less accurately along different dimensions. The current results support the hypothesis of divergence of rhythmic skills. Based on these results, we provide guidelines towards a comprehensive testing of rhythm abilities, including at least three short tasks measuring: (1) rhythm production (e.g., tapping to metronome/music), (2) beat-based rhythm perception (e.g., BAT), and (3) sequence memory-based rhythm processing (e.g., BBA). Implications for underlying neural mechanisms, future research, and potential directions for rehabilitation and training programs are discussed.
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14
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Correia AI, Vincenzi M, Vanzella P, Pinheiro AP, Lima CF, Schellenberg EG. Can musical ability be tested online? Behav Res Methods 2022; 54:955-969. [PMID: 34382202 PMCID: PMC8357346 DOI: 10.3758/s13428-021-01641-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 05/29/2021] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
Abstract
We sought to determine whether an objective test of musical ability could be successfully administered online. A sample of 754 participants was tested with an online version of the Musical Ear Test (MET), which had Melody and Rhythm subtests. Both subtests had 52 trials, each of which required participants to determine whether standard and comparison auditory sequences were identical. The testing session also included the Goldsmiths Musical Sophistication Index (Gold-MSI), a test of general cognitive ability, and self-report questionnaires that measured basic demographics (age, education, gender), mind-wandering, and personality. Approximately 20% of the participants were excluded for incomplete responding or failing to finish the testing session. For the final sample (N = 608), findings were similar to those from in-person testing in many respects: (1) the internal reliability of the MET was maintained, (2) construct validity was confirmed by strong associations with Gold-MSI scores, (3) correlations with other measures (e.g., openness to experience, cognitive ability, mind-wandering) were as predicted, (4) mean levels of performance were similar for individuals with no music training, and (5) musical sophistication was a better predictor of performance on the Melody than on the Rhythm subtest. In sum, online administration of the MET proved to be a reliable and valid way to measure musical ability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ana Isabel Correia
- Centro de Investigação e Intervenção Social (CIS-IUL), Instituto Universitário de Lisboa (ISCTE-IUL), Av.ª das Forças Armadas, 1649-026, Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Margherita Vincenzi
- Centro de Investigação e Intervenção Social (CIS-IUL), Instituto Universitário de Lisboa (ISCTE-IUL), Av.ª das Forças Armadas, 1649-026, Lisboa, Portugal
- Department of General Psychology, University of Padova, Padova, Italy
| | - Patrícia Vanzella
- Center for Mathematics, Computing, and Cognition, Universidade Federal do ABC, Santo Andre, Brazil
| | - Ana P Pinheiro
- CICPSI, Faculdade de Psicologia, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisboa, Portugal
| | - César F Lima
- Centro de Investigação e Intervenção Social (CIS-IUL), Instituto Universitário de Lisboa (ISCTE-IUL), Av.ª das Forças Armadas, 1649-026, Lisboa, Portugal.
- Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, University College London, London, UK.
| | - E Glenn Schellenberg
- Centro de Investigação e Intervenção Social (CIS-IUL), Instituto Universitário de Lisboa (ISCTE-IUL), Av.ª das Forças Armadas, 1649-026, Lisboa, Portugal
- Department of Psychology, University of Toronto Mississauga, Mississauga, Canada
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15
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de Manzano Ö, Ullén F. Domain specific traits predict achievement in music and multipotentiality. INTELLIGENCE 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.intell.2021.101584] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
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16
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Understanding Sensitive Period Effects in Musical Training. Curr Top Behav Neurosci 2021; 53:167-188. [PMID: 34435343 DOI: 10.1007/7854_2021_250] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
Abstract
Adult ability in complex cognitive domains, including music, is commonly thought of as the product of gene-environment interactions, where genetic predispositions influence and are modulated by experience, resulting in the final phenotypic expression. Recently, however, the important contribution of maturation to gene-environment interactions has become better understood. Thus, the timing of exposure to specific experience, such as music training, has been shown to produce long-term impacts on adult behaviour and the brain. Work from our lab and others shows that musical training before the ages of 7-9 enhances performance on musical tasks and modifies brain structure and function, sometimes in unexpected ways. The goal of this paper is to present current evidence for sensitive period effects for musical training in the context of what is known about brain maturation and to present a framework that integrates genetic, environmental and maturational influences on the development of musical skill. We believe that this framework can also be applied more broadly to understanding how predispositions, brain development and experience interact.
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17
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Okely JA, Deary IJ, Overy K. The Edinburgh Lifetime Musical Experience Questionnaire (ELMEQ): Responses and non-musical correlates in the Lothian Birth Cohort 1936. PLoS One 2021; 16:e0254176. [PMID: 34264964 PMCID: PMC8282069 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0254176] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/03/2021] [Accepted: 06/22/2021] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
There is growing evidence of the potential effects of musical training on the human brain, as well as increasing interest in the potential contribution of musical experience to healthy ageing. Conducting research on these topics with older adults requires a comprehensive assessment of musical experience across the lifespan, as well as an understanding of which variables might correlate with musical training and experience (such as personality traits or years of education). The present study introduces a short questionnaire for assessing lifetime musical training and experience in older populations: the Edinburgh Lifetime Musical Experience Questionnaire (ELMEQ). 420 participants from the Lothian Birth Cohort 1936 completed the ELMEQ at a mean age of 82 years. We used their responses to the ELMEQ to address three objectives: 1) to report the prevalence of lifetime musical experience in a sample of older adults; 2) to demonstrate how certain item-level responses can be used to model latent variables quantifying experience in different musical domains (playing a musical instrument, singing, self-reported musical ability, and music listening); and 3) to examine non-musical (lifespan) correlates of these domains. In this cohort, 420 of 431 participants (97%) completed the questionnaire. 40% of participants reported some lifetime experience of playing a musical instrument, starting at a median age of 10 years and playing for a median of 5 years. 38% of participants reported some lifetime experience of singing in a group. Non-musical variables of childhood environment, years of education, childhood cognitive ability, female sex, extraversion, history of arthritis and fewer constraints on activities of daily living were found to be associated, variously, with the domains of playing a musical instrument, singing, self-reported musical ability, and music listening. The ELMEQ was found to be an effective research tool with older adults and is made freely available for future research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Judith A. Okely
- Department of Psychology, Lothian Birth Cohort Studies, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
- * E-mail:
| | - Ian J. Deary
- Department of Psychology, Lothian Birth Cohort Studies, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
| | - Katie Overy
- Reid School of Music, Edinburgh College of Art, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
- Edinburgh Neuroscience, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
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18
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Gustavson DE, Coleman PL, Iversen JR, Maes HH, Gordon RL, Lense MD. Mental health and music engagement: review, framework, and guidelines for future studies. Transl Psychiatry 2021; 11:370. [PMID: 34226495 PMCID: PMC8257764 DOI: 10.1038/s41398-021-01483-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/23/2020] [Revised: 06/03/2021] [Accepted: 06/10/2021] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Is engaging with music good for your mental health? This question has long been the topic of empirical clinical and nonclinical investigations, with studies indicating positive associations between music engagement and quality of life, reduced depression or anxiety symptoms, and less frequent substance use. However, many earlier investigations were limited by small populations and methodological limitations, and it has also been suggested that aspects of music engagement may even be associated with worse mental health outcomes. The purpose of this scoping review is first to summarize the existing state of music engagement and mental health studies, identifying their strengths and weaknesses. We focus on broad domains of mental health diagnoses including internalizing psychopathology (e.g., depression and anxiety symptoms and diagnoses), externalizing psychopathology (e.g., substance use), and thought disorders (e.g., schizophrenia). Second, we propose a theoretical model to inform future work that describes the importance of simultaneously considering music-mental health associations at the levels of (1) correlated genetic and/or environmental influences vs. (bi)directional associations, (2) interactions with genetic risk factors, (3) treatment efficacy, and (4) mediation through brain structure and function. Finally, we describe how recent advances in large-scale data collection, including genetic, neuroimaging, and electronic health record studies, allow for a more rigorous examination of these associations that can also elucidate their neurobiological substrates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel E. Gustavson
- grid.412807.80000 0004 1936 9916Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN USA ,grid.412807.80000 0004 1936 9916Vanderbilt Genetics Institute, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN USA
| | - Peyton L. Coleman
- grid.412807.80000 0004 1936 9916Department of Otolaryngology – Head & Neck Surgery, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN USA
| | - John R. Iversen
- grid.266100.30000 0001 2107 4242Swartz Center for Computational Neuroscience, Institute for Neural Computation, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA USA
| | - Hermine H. Maes
- grid.224260.00000 0004 0458 8737Department of Human and Molecular Genetics, Virginia Institute for Psychiatric and Behavioral Genetics, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA USA ,grid.224260.00000 0004 0458 8737Department of Psychiatry, Virginia Institute for Psychiatric and Behavioral Genetics, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA USA ,grid.224260.00000 0004 0458 8737Massey Cancer Center, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA USA
| | - Reyna L. Gordon
- grid.412807.80000 0004 1936 9916Vanderbilt Genetics Institute, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN USA ,grid.412807.80000 0004 1936 9916Department of Otolaryngology – Head & Neck Surgery, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN USA ,grid.152326.10000 0001 2264 7217Vanderbilt Brain Institute, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN USA ,grid.152326.10000 0001 2264 7217The Curb Center, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN USA
| | - Miriam D. Lense
- grid.412807.80000 0004 1936 9916Vanderbilt Genetics Institute, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN USA ,grid.152326.10000 0001 2264 7217Vanderbilt Brain Institute, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN USA ,grid.152326.10000 0001 2264 7217The Curb Center, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN USA
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19
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Auditory and visual short-term memory: influence of material type, contour, and musical expertise. PSYCHOLOGICAL RESEARCH 2021; 86:421-442. [PMID: 33881610 PMCID: PMC8885540 DOI: 10.1007/s00426-021-01519-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/28/2020] [Accepted: 04/08/2021] [Indexed: 01/14/2023]
Abstract
Short-term memory has mostly been investigated with verbal or visuospatial stimuli and less so with other categories of stimuli. Moreover, the influence of sensory modality has been explored almost solely in the verbal domain. The present study compared visual and auditory short-term memory for different types of materials, aiming to understand whether sensory modality and material type can influence short-term memory performance. Furthermore, we aimed to assess if music expertise can modulate memory performance, as previous research has reported better auditory memory (and to some extent, visual memory), and better auditory contour recognition for musicians than non-musicians. To do so, we adapted the same recognition paradigm (delayed-matching to sample) across different types of stimuli. In each trial, participants (musicians and non-musicians) were presented with two sequences of events, separated by a silent delay, and had to indicate whether the two sequences were identical or different. The performance was compared for auditory and visual materials belonging to three different categories: (1) verbal (i.e., syllables); (2) nonverbal (i.e., that could not be easily denominated) with contour (based on loudness or luminance variations); and (3) nonverbal without contour (pink noise sequences or kanji letters sequences). Contour and no-contour conditions referred to whether the sequence can entail (or not) a contour (i.e., a pattern of up and down changes) based on non-pitch features. Results revealed a selective advantage of musicians for auditory no-contour stimuli and for contour stimuli (both visual and auditory), suggesting that musical expertise is associated with specific short-term memory advantages in domains close to the trained domain, also extending cross-modally when stimuli have contour information. Moreover, our results suggest a role of encoding strategies (i.e., how the material is represented mentally during the task) for short-term-memory performance.
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20
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McKay CM. No Evidence That Music Training Benefits Speech Perception in Hearing-Impaired Listeners: A Systematic Review. Trends Hear 2021; 25:2331216520985678. [PMID: 33634750 PMCID: PMC7934028 DOI: 10.1177/2331216520985678] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/24/2023] Open
Abstract
As musicians have been shown to have a range of superior auditory skills to non-musicians (e.g., pitch discrimination ability), it has been hypothesized by many researchers that music training can have a beneficial effect on speech perception in populations with hearing impairment. This hypothesis relies on an assumption that the benefits seen in musicians are due to their training and not due to innate skills that may support successful musicianship. This systematic review examined the evidence from 13 longitudinal training studies that tested the hypothesis that music training has a causal effect on speech perception ability in hearing-impaired listeners. The papers were evaluated for quality of research design and appropriate analysis techniques. Only 4 of the 13 papers used a research design that allowed a causal relation between music training and outcome benefits to be validly tested, and none of those 4 papers with a better quality study design demonstrated a benefit of music training for speech perception. In spite of the lack of valid evidence in support of the hypothesis, 10 of the 13 papers made claims of benefits of music training, showing a propensity for confirmation bias in this area of research. It is recommended that future studies that aim to evaluate the association of speech perception ability and music training use a study design that differentiates the effects of training from those of innate perceptual and cognitive skills in the participants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Colette M McKay
- Bionics Institute, Melbourne, Australia.,Department of Medical Bionics, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia.,Department of Audiology and Speech Pathology, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia
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21
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The Musical Ear Test: Norms and correlates from a large sample of Canadian undergraduates. Behav Res Methods 2021; 53:2007-2024. [PMID: 33704673 DOI: 10.3758/s13428-020-01528-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 12/16/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
We sought to establish norms and correlates for the Musical Ear Test (MET), an objective test of musical ability. A large sample of undergraduates at a Canadian university (N > 500) took the 20-min test, which provided a Total score as well as separate scores for its Melody and Rhythm subtests. On each trial, listeners judged whether standard and comparison auditory sequences were the same or different. Norms were derived as percentiles, Z-scores, and T-scores. The distribution of scores was approximately normal without floor or ceiling effects. There were no gender differences on either subtest or the total score. As expected, scores on both subtests were correlated with performance on a test of immediate recall for nonmusical auditory stimuli (Digit Span Forward). Moreover, as duration of music training increased, so did performance on both subtests, but starting lessons at a younger age was not predictive of better musical abilities. Listeners who spoke a tone language exhibited enhanced performance on the Melody subtest but not on the Rhythm subtest. The MET appears to have adequate psychometric characteristics that make it suitable for researchers who seek to measure musical abilities objectively.
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22
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Battcock A, Schutz M. Emotion and expertise: how listeners with formal music training use cues to perceive emotion. PSYCHOLOGICAL RESEARCH 2021; 86:66-86. [PMID: 33511447 PMCID: PMC8821494 DOI: 10.1007/s00426-020-01467-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/13/2020] [Accepted: 12/16/2020] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Although studies of musical emotion often focus on the role of the composer and performer, the communicative process is also influenced by the listener's musical background or experience. Given the equivocal nature of evidence regarding the effects of musical training, the role of listener expertise in conveyed musical emotion remains opaque. Here we examine emotional responses of musically trained listeners across two experiments using (1) eight measure excerpts, (2) musically resolved excerpts and compare them to responses collected from untrained listeners in Battcock and Schutz (2019). In each experiment 30 participants with six or more years of music training rated perceived emotion for 48 excerpts from Bach's Well-Tempered Clavier (WTC) using scales of valence and arousal. Models of listener ratings predict more variance in trained vs. untrained listeners across both experiments. More importantly however, we observe a shift in cue weights related to training. Using commonality analysis and Fischer Z score comparisons as well as margin of error calculations, we show that timing and mode affect untrained listeners equally, whereas mode plays a significantly stronger role than timing for trained listeners. This is not to say the emotional messages are less well recognized by untrained listeners-simply that training appears to shift the relative weight of cues used in making evaluations. These results clarify music training's potential impact on the specific effects of cues in conveying musical emotion.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aimee Battcock
- Department of Psychology, Neuroscience and Behaviour, McMaster University, Psychology Building (PC), Room 102, 1280 Main Street West, Hamilton, ON, L8S 4K1, Canada.
| | - Michael Schutz
- Department of Psychology, Neuroscience and Behaviour, McMaster University, Psychology Building (PC), Room 102, 1280 Main Street West, Hamilton, ON, L8S 4K1, Canada.,School of the Arts, McMaster University, Hamilton, Canada
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23
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Kragness HE, Swaminathan S, Cirelli LK, Schellenberg EG. Individual differences in musical ability are stable over time in childhood. Dev Sci 2021; 24:e13081. [PMID: 33382177 DOI: 10.1111/desc.13081] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/06/2020] [Revised: 09/30/2020] [Accepted: 12/24/2020] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
The development of human abilities stems from a complex interplay between genetic predispositions and environmental factors. Numerous studies have compared musicians with non-musicians on measures of musical and non-musical ability, frequently attributing musicians' superior performance to their training. By ignoring preexisting differences, however, this view assumes that taking music lessons is akin to random assignment. In the present longitudinal study, the musical ability of 5- to 10-year-olds was measured at Time 1 with a test of music perception and cognition. Five years later, at Time 2, the children took the same test and a second test designed for older listeners. The test-retest correlation for aggregate scores was remarkably high, r ≈ 0.7, and remained strong when confounding variables (age, cognitive abilities, personality) were held constant. At both time points, music training was associated with musical ability, but the association at Time 2 became nonsignificant when musical ability at Time 1 was held constant. Time 1 musical ability also predicted duration of subsequent music training. These data are consistent with results from genetic studies, which implicate genes in all aspects of musical behavior and achievement, and with meta-analyses, which indicate that transfer effects from music training are weak. In short, early musical abilities significantly predicted later abilities, demonstrating that individual differences are stable over time. We found no evidence, however, to suggest that music training predicted musical ability after accounting for prior ability. The results underscore the importance of considering preexisting abilities in any type of learning.
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Affiliation(s)
- Haley E Kragness
- Department of Psychology, University of Toronto Mississauga, Mississauga, ON, Canada.,Department of Psychology, University of Toronto Scarborough, Scarborough, ON, Canada
| | - Swathi Swaminathan
- Department of Psychology, University of Toronto Mississauga, Mississauga, ON, Canada.,Brain and Mind Institute, University of Western Ontario, London, ON, Canada
| | - Laura K Cirelli
- Department of Psychology, University of Toronto Scarborough, Scarborough, ON, Canada
| | - E Glenn Schellenberg
- Department of Psychology, University of Toronto Mississauga, Mississauga, ON, Canada.,Centro de Investigação e Intervenção Social (CIS-IUL), Instituto Universitário de Lisboa (ISCTE-IUL), Lisboa, Portugal
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24
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Penhune VB. A gene-maturation-environment model for understanding sensitive period effects in musical training. Curr Opin Behav Sci 2020. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cobeha.2020.05.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
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25
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Lee J, Han JH, Lee HJ. Long-Term Musical Training Alters Auditory Cortical Activity to the Frequency Change. Front Hum Neurosci 2020; 14:329. [PMID: 32973478 PMCID: PMC7471721 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2020.00329] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/29/2020] [Accepted: 07/24/2020] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Objective: The ability to detect frequency variation is a fundamental skill necessary for speech perception. It is known that musical expertise is associated with a range of auditory perceptual skills, including discriminating frequency change, which suggests the neural encoding of spectral features can be enhanced by musical training. In this study, we measured auditory cortical responses to frequency change in musicians to examine the relationships between N1/P2 responses and behavioral performance/musical training. Methods: Behavioral and electrophysiological data were obtained from professional musicians and age-matched non-musician participants. Behavioral data included frequency discrimination detection thresholds for no threshold-equalizing noise (TEN), +5, 0, and -5 signal-to-noise ratio settings. Auditory-evoked responses were measured using a 64-channel electroencephalogram (EEG) system in response to frequency changes in ongoing pure tones consisting of 250 and 4,000 Hz, and the magnitudes of frequency change were 10%, 25% or 50% from the base frequencies. N1 and P2 amplitudes and latencies as well as dipole source activation in the left and right hemispheres were measured for each condition. Results: Compared to the non-musician group, behavioral thresholds in the musician group were lower for frequency discrimination in quiet conditions only. The scalp-recorded N1 amplitudes were modulated as a function of frequency change. P2 amplitudes in the musician group were larger than in the non-musician group. Dipole source analysis showed that P2 dipole activity to frequency changes was lateralized to the right hemisphere, with greater activity in the musician group regardless of the hemisphere side. Additionally, N1 amplitudes to frequency changes were positively related to behavioral thresholds for frequency discrimination while enhanced P2 amplitudes were associated with a longer duration of musical training. Conclusions: Our results demonstrate that auditory cortical potentials evoked by frequency change are related to behavioral thresholds for frequency discrimination in musicians. Larger P2 amplitudes in musicians compared to non-musicians reflects musical training-induced neural plasticity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jihyun Lee
- Laboratory of Brain & Cognitive Sciences for Convergence Medicine, Hallym University College of Medicine, Anyang, South Korea
| | - Ji-Hye Han
- Laboratory of Brain & Cognitive Sciences for Convergence Medicine, Hallym University College of Medicine, Anyang, South Korea
| | - Hyo-Jeong Lee
- Laboratory of Brain & Cognitive Sciences for Convergence Medicine, Hallym University College of Medicine, Anyang, South Korea.,Department of Otorhinolaryngology, College of Medicine, Hallym University, Anyang, South Korea
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26
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Grinspun N, Nijs L, Kausel L, Onderdijk K, Sepúlveda N, Rivera-Hutinel A. Selective Attention and Inhibitory Control of Attention Are Correlated With Music Audiation. Front Psychol 2020; 11:1109. [PMID: 32581948 PMCID: PMC7283900 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2020.01109] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/11/2020] [Accepted: 04/30/2020] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Executive functions (EFs) are cognitive functions needed for adaptive and targeted behavior. Music aptitude is the potential or capacity for musical achievement. A key element of music aptitude is audiation, defined as the process through which sound becomes music and meaning is attributed to that music. In this paper, we report on the association between audiation skills and executive skills. Not only is this important to consider the validity of the audiation tests, but also to better understand the concept of audiation and its link to cognitive skills. We conducted an empirical study, in which a sample of second grade school students from two elementary schools, one from Ghent, Belgium (N = 36) and the other from Santiago, Chile (N = 25), were administered both a musical aptitude and an attention and inhibitory control test. We hypothesized that a positive correlation exists between sustained attention, inhibitory control and music aptitude.
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Affiliation(s)
- Noemí Grinspun
- Departamento de Música, Universidad Metropolitana de Ciencias de la Educación, Santiago, Chile
| | - Luc Nijs
- Institute for Psychoacoustics and Electronic Music, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Leonie Kausel
- Centro de Investigación en Complejidad Social, Facultad de Gobierno, Universidad del Desarrollo, Santiago, Chile
| | - Kelsey Onderdijk
- Institute for Psychoacoustics and Electronic Music, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Nicolás Sepúlveda
- Departamento de Psicología, Facultad de Ciencias Sociales, Universidad de Chile, Santiago, Chile
| | - Antonio Rivera-Hutinel
- Instituto de Entomologia, Universidad Metropolitana de Ciencias de la Educación, Santiago, Chile
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27
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Cason N, Marmursztejn M, D'Imperio M, Schön D. Rhythmic Abilities Correlate with L2 Prosody Imitation Abilities in Typologically Different Languages. LANGUAGE AND SPEECH 2020; 63:149-165. [PMID: 30760163 DOI: 10.1177/0023830919826334] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
While many studies have demonstrated the relationship between musical rhythm and speech prosody, this has been rarely addressed in the context of second language (L2) acquisition. Here, we investigated whether musical rhythmic skills and the production of L2 speech prosody are predictive of one another. We tested both musical and linguistic rhythmic competences of 23 native French speakers of L2 English. Participants completed perception and production music and language tests. In the prosody production test, sentences containing trisyllabic words with either a prominence on the first or on the second syllable were heard and had to be reproduced. Participants were less accurate in reproducing penultimate accent placement. Moreover, the accuracy in reproducing phonologically disfavored stress patterns was best predicted by rhythm production abilities. Our results show, for the first time, that better reproduction of musical rhythmic sequences is predictive of a more successful realization of unfamiliar L2 prosody, specifically in terms of stress-accent placement.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nia Cason
- Aix Marseille Univ, INSERM, INS, Inst Neurosci Syst, Marseille, France
| | - Muriel Marmursztejn
- Aix-Marseille Univ, CNRS, LPL, Laboratoire Parole et Langage, Aix-en-Provence, France
| | - Mariapaola D'Imperio
- Aix-Marseille Univ, CNRS, LPL, Laboratoire Parole et Langage, Aix-en-Provence, France
| | - Daniele Schön
- Aix Marseille Univ, INSERM, INS, Inst Neurosci Syst, Marseille, France
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28
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MacCutcheon D, Füllgrabe C, Eccles R, van der Linde J, Panebianco C, Ljung R. Investigating the Effect of One Year of Learning to Play a Musical Instrument on Speech-in-Noise Perception and Phonological Short-Term Memory in 5-to-7-Year-Old Children. Front Psychol 2020; 10:2865. [PMID: 31998174 PMCID: PMC6970197 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2019.02865] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/22/2019] [Accepted: 12/03/2019] [Indexed: 12/05/2022] Open
Abstract
The benefits in speech-in-noise perception, language and cognition brought about by extensive musical training in adults and children have been demonstrated in a number of cross-sectional studies. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate whether one year of school-delivered musical training, consisting of individual and group instrumental classes, was capable of producing advantages for speech-in-noise perception and phonological short-term memory in children tested in a simulated classroom environment. Forty-one children aged 5–7 years at the first measurement point participated in the study and either went to a music-focused or a sport-focused private school with an otherwise equivalent school curriculum. The children’s ability to detect number and color words in noise was measured under a number of conditions including different masker types (speech-shaped noise, single-talker background) and under varying spatial combinations of target and masker (spatially collocated, spatially separated). Additionally, a cognitive factor essential to speech perception, namely phonological short-term memory, was assessed. Findings were unable to confirm that musical training of the frequency and duration administered was associated with a musicians’ advantage for either speech in noise, under any of the masker or spatial conditions tested, or phonological short-term memory.
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Affiliation(s)
- Douglas MacCutcheon
- Department of Building, Energy and Environmental Engineering, Högskolan i Gävle, Gävle, Sweden.,Department of Music, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa
| | - Christian Füllgrabe
- School of Sport, Exercise and Health Sciences, Loughborough University, Loughborough, United Kingdom
| | - Renata Eccles
- Department of Music, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa.,Department of Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa
| | - Jeannie van der Linde
- Department of Music, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa.,Department of Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa
| | | | - Robert Ljung
- Department of Building, Energy and Environmental Engineering, Högskolan i Gävle, Gävle, Sweden
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29
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Burgoyne AP, Harris LJ, Hambrick DZ. Predicting piano skill acquisition in beginners: The role of general intelligence, music aptitude, and mindset. INTELLIGENCE 2019. [DOI: 10.1016/j.intell.2019.101383] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
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30
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Barbaroux M, Dittinger E, Besson M. Music training with Démos program positively influences cognitive functions in children from low socio-economic backgrounds. PLoS One 2019; 14:e0216874. [PMID: 31095606 PMCID: PMC6522123 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0216874] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/26/2018] [Accepted: 04/30/2019] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
This study aimed at evaluating the impact of a classic music training program (Démos) on several aspects of the cognitive development of children from low socio-economic backgrounds. We were specifically interested in general intelligence, phonological awareness and reading abilities, and in other cognitive abilities that may be improved by music training such as auditory and visual attention, working and short-term memory and visuomotor precision. We used a longitudinal approach with children presented with standardized tests before the start and after 18 months of music training. To test for pre-to-post training improvements while discarding maturation and developmental effects, raw scores for each child and for each test were normalized relative to their age group. Results showed that Démos music training improved musicality scores, total IQ and Symbol Search scores as well as concentration abilities and reading precision. In line with previous results, these findings demonstrate the positive impact of an ecologically-valid music training program on the cognitive development of children from low socio-economic backgrounds and strongly encourage the broader implementation of such programs in disadvantaged school-settings.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mylène Barbaroux
- CNRS & Aix-Marseille University, Laboratoire de Neurosciences Cognitives (LNC, UMR 7291), Marseille, France
| | - Eva Dittinger
- CNRS & Aix-Marseille University, Laboratoire de Neurosciences Cognitives (LNC, UMR 7291), Marseille, France
- CNRS & Aix-Marseille University, Laboratoire Parole et Langage (LPL, UMR 7309), Aix-en-Provence, France
- Brain and Language Research Institute (BLRI), Aix-en-Provence, France
| | - Mireille Besson
- CNRS & Aix-Marseille University, Laboratoire de Neurosciences Cognitives (LNC, UMR 7291), Marseille, France
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31
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Vanden Bosch der Nederlanden CM, Zaragoza C, Rubio-Garcia A, Clarkson E, Snyder JS. Change detection in complex auditory scenes is predicted by auditory memory, pitch perception, and years of musical training. PSYCHOLOGICAL RESEARCH 2018; 84:585-601. [PMID: 30120544 DOI: 10.1007/s00426-018-1072-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2018] [Accepted: 08/04/2018] [Indexed: 10/28/2022]
Abstract
Our world is a sonically busy place and we use both acoustic information and experience-based knowledge to make sense of the sounds arriving at our ears. The knowledge we gain through experience has the potential to shape what sounds are prioritized in a complex scene. There are many examples of how visual expertise influences how we perceive objects in visual scenes, but few studies examine how auditory expertise is associated with attentional biases toward familiar real-world sounds in complex scenes. In the current study, we investigated whether musical expertise is associated with the ability to detect changes to real-world sounds in complex auditory scenes, and whether any such benefit is specific to musical instrument sounds. We also examined whether change detection is better for human-generated sounds in general or only communicative human sounds. We found that musicians had less change deafness overall. All listeners were better at detecting human communicative sounds compared to human non-communicative sounds, but this benefit was driven by speech sounds and sounds that were vocally generated. Musical listening skill, speech-in-noise, and executive function abilities were used to predict rates of change deafness. Auditory memory, musical training, fine-grained pitch processing, and an interaction between training and pitch processing accounted for 45.8% of the variance in change deafness. To better understand perceptual and cognitive expertise, it may be more important to measure various auditory skills and relate them to each other, as opposed to comparing experts to non-experts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christina M Vanden Bosch der Nederlanden
- Department of Psychology, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, USA. .,The Brain and Mind Institute, Western University, 1151 Richmond St, London, ON, N6A 3K7, Canada.
| | | | | | - Evan Clarkson
- Department of Psychology, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, USA
| | - Joel S Snyder
- Department of Psychology, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, USA
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32
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Harrison PMC, Müllensiefen D. Development and Validation of the Computerised Adaptive Beat Alignment Test (CA-BAT). Sci Rep 2018; 8:12395. [PMID: 30120265 PMCID: PMC6097996 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-30318-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/06/2017] [Accepted: 07/26/2018] [Indexed: 01/20/2023] Open
Abstract
Beat perception is increasingly being recognised as a fundamental musical ability. A number of psychometric instruments have been developed to assess this ability, but these tests do not take advantage of modern psychometric techniques, and rarely receive systematic validation. The present research addresses this gap in the literature by developing and validating a new test, the Computerised Adaptive Beat Alignment Test (CA-BAT), a variant of the Beat Alignment Test (BAT) that leverages recent advances in psychometric theory, including item response theory, adaptive testing, and automatic item generation. The test is constructed and validated in four empirical studies. The results support the reliability and validity of the CA-BAT for laboratory testing, but suggest that the test is not well-suited to online testing, owing to its reliance on fine perceptual discrimination.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peter M C Harrison
- School of Electronic Engineering and Computer Science, Queen Mary University of London, London, E1 4NS, United Kingdom.
| | - Daniel Müllensiefen
- Department of Psychology, Goldsmiths, University of London, London, SE14 6NW, United Kingdom.,University of Music, Drama, and Media, Hanover, Germany
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