Abstract
The ability to evaluate spontaneity in human behavior is called upon in the esthetic appreciation of dramatic arts and music. The current study addresses the behavioral and brain mechanisms that mediate the perception of spontaneity in music performance. In a functional magnetic resonance imaging experiment, 22 jazz musicians listened to piano melodies and judged whether they were improvised or imitated. Judgment accuracy (mean 55%; range 44–65%), which was low but above chance, was positively correlated with musical experience and empathy. Analysis of listeners’ hemodynamic responses revealed that amygdala activation was stronger for improvisations than imitations. This activation correlated with the variability of performance timing and intensity (loudness) in the melodies, suggesting that the amygdala is involved in the detection of behavioral uncertainty. An analysis based on the subjective classification of melodies according to listeners’ judgments revealed that a network including the pre-supplementary motor area, frontal operculum, and anterior insula was most strongly activated for melodies judged to be improvised. This may reflect the increased engagement of an action simulation network when melodic predictions are rendered challenging due to perceived instability in the performer's actions. Taken together, our results suggest that, while certain brain regions in skilled individuals may be generally sensitive to objective cues to spontaneity in human behavior, the ability to evaluate spontaneity accurately depends upon whether an individual's action-related experience and perspective taking skills enable faithful internal simulation of the given behavior.
Highlights
Imagine stepping into a jazz club, where you are met by the strains of a pianist negotiating a mesmerizing solo unlike anything that you have heard before
In a functional magnetic resonance imaging experiment, we investigated the ability of musically trained listeners to differentiate between excerpts from the improvised and rehearsed jazz piano solos that were analyzed by Keller et al
Systematic relations were observed between judgment accuracy and self-report measures of musical experience, indicating that accuracy was negatively correlated with the age at which individuals started playing the piano (Pearson’s r = −0.40, one-tailed P = 0.033), jazz piano (r = −0.48, one-tailed P = 0.023), and positively correlated with the number of hours per week spent playing jazz piano in ensembles (r = 0.40, one-tailed P = 0.037)
Summary
Imagine stepping into a jazz club, where you are met by the strains of a pianist negotiating a mesmerizing solo unlike anything that you have heard before. Its appreciation by listeners presumably relies upon the interaction of objective auditory cues in a musical performance and the subjective experience and expertise of the listener. It is, quite likely that individuals differ in their ability to evaluate spontaneity in a performer’s actions. Quite likely that individuals differ in their ability to evaluate spontaneity in a performer’s actions This ability, broadly speaking, concerns the sensitivity of one individual to the degree of spontaneity in another’s behavior. Improvised musical performance, presents a paradigmatic domain in which to study the perception of spontaneity in human behavior
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
