Musical instrument dexterity requirements and its effects on adolescent diotic and dichotic listening performance

Abstract

Research examining the human asymmetry of handedness has included exploring the relationship to the auditory modality (e.g., digit span memory; Bannatyne & Wichiarajote, 1969). Musicians whose instruments require dual dexterity have more symmetric neural processing as a result of the sensory-motor experience with their instrument (Gaser & Schlaug, 2003). Little research translates these neurological differences based on dexterity to determine if more neurologic symmetry manifests into advantages for auditory processing. This study aimed to identify perceptual advantages of instrumental training based on dexterity, during stages when the central auditory nervous system is still developing. Monaural and binaural listening tasks, as well as working memory tasks, were collected on 33 adolescent (14–18 years old) musicians split into subgroups based on their instrument dexterity requirement (mono vs. dual). The outcomes indicate that instrumental choice did not significantly impact diotic digit span performance; however, a performance asymmetry (e.g., right ear advantage) was identified for the mono dexterity group for dichotic listening tasks performance at capacity limits. Overall, the results indicate that individuals choosing musical instruments that require dual dexterity had more symmetric auditory processing which corresponds to previous evidence of more neural symmetry based on instrumental dexterity.