Musical Competence is Predicted by Music Training, Cognitive Abilities, and Personality

Swathi Swaminathan,E Glenn Schellenberg

doi:10.1038/s41598-018-27571-2

Abstract

Individuals differ in musical competence, which we defined as the ability to perceive, remember, and discriminate sequences of tones or beats. We asked whether such differences could be explained by variables other than music training, including socioeconomic status (SES), short-term memory, general cognitive ability, and personality. In a sample of undergraduates, musical competence had positive simple associations with duration of music training, SES, short-term memory, general cognitive ability, and openness-to-experience. When these predictors were considered jointly, musical competence had positive partial associations with music training, general cognitive ability, and openness. Nevertheless, moderation analyses revealed that the partial association between musical competence and music training was evident only among participants who scored below the mean on our measure of general cognitive ability. Moreover, general cognitive ability and openness had indirect associations with musical competence by predicting music training, which in turn predicted musical competence. Musical competence appears to be the result of multiple factors, including but not limited to music training.

Highlights

Musical engagement is widespread, yet individuals vary in musical ability
Musical competence tended to be better among participants with more music training
Musical competence tended to be better among participants from higher-socioeconomic status (SES) families, those who performed well on the measures of short-term memory and general cognitive ability, and those who scored higher on openness

Summary

Introduction

Musical engagement is widespread, yet individuals vary in musical ability Some of this variance stems from learning by way of music listening and formal training in music. On trials where the sequences differ, one event in the comparison sequence is altered in pitch or time These tests have a long history[5], few studies have examined how individual differences—other than in music training—predict performance. The tests are often thought to measure “innate” differences in musical ability In line with this view, empirical studies document a genetic contribution to the perceptual skills relevant to music and the propensity to engage in musical activities. We assumed that individual differences in performance on a test of musical competence were a consequence of natural and learned musical ability. Musical ability and music training were expected to reflect both gene-environment correlations (i.e., people seek out environments that match their genetic predisposition) and gene-environment interactions (i.e., effects of experience are moderated by predispositions)[11,12]

Objectives

Results

Conclusion