Differences In Musical Abilities Research Articles

CORRIGENDUM to "Individual differences in musical ability among adults with no music training".

CORRIGENDUM to "Individual differences in musical ability among adults with no music training".

The influence of musical abilities on the processing of second language prosody: An eye-tracking study

The perception of speech prosody in a second language (L2) remains challenging even for proficient L2 users. Eye-tracking evidence indicates that Dutch listeners show difficulty in the processing of pitch accents that signal a contrast (i.e., contrastive focus) in English, whereas native English listeners use this cue in perception to anticipate upcoming information [Ge et al., Appl. Psycholinguist. 42, 1057–1088 (2021)]. Prosody perception abilities in foreign languages have been associated with individual differences in musical abilities [Jansen et al., Speech Prosody, 713–717 (2022)]. We investigated whether musical abilities influenced the processing of prosodic cues by 45 Dutch adult L2 English users, using a visual-world eye-tracking paradigm. Participants listened to sentences with pitch accent cues to contrastive focus on different words, while viewing pictures showing objects and characters mentioned. We investigated to what extent participants showed anticipatory fixations on the image reflecting the alternative of the contrast, after hearing the accented word. We measured participants’ music perception abilities with a standardised test and analysed its influence on anticipatory fixations. Initial analyses indicate that individuals with stronger musical abilities show more anticipation. This suggests that having stronger perceptual resources underlying both music and speech processing [Patel, Front. Psychol. 2, 142 (2011)] may benefit L2 prosody perception.

Individual differences in musical ability among adults with no music training.

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.

Individual differences in musical ability are stable over time in childhood.

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.

Is atypical rhythm a risk factor for developmental speech and language disorders?

Although a growing literature points to substantial variation in speech/language abilities related to individual differences in musical abilities, mainstream models of communication sciences and disorders have not yet incorporated these individual differences into childhood speech/language development. This article reviews three sources of evidence in a comprehensive body of research aligning with three main themes: (a) associations between musical rhythm and speech/language processing, (b) musical rhythm in children with developmental speech/language disorders and common comorbid attentional and motor disorders, and (c) individual differences in mechanisms underlying rhythm processing in infants and their relationship with later speech/language development. In light of converging evidence on associations between musical rhythm and speech/language processing, we propose the Atypical Rhythm Risk Hypothesis, which posits that individuals with atypical rhythm are at higher risk for developmental speech/language disorders. The hypothesis is framed within the larger epidemiological literature in which recent methodological advances allow for large‐scale testing of shared underlying biology across clinically distinct disorders. A series of predictions for future work testing the Atypical Rhythm Risk Hypothesis are outlined. We suggest that if a significant body of evidence is found to support this hypothesis, we can envision new risk factor models that incorporate atypical rhythm to predict the risk of developing speech/language disorders. Given the high prevalence of speech/language disorders in the population and the negative long‐term social and economic consequences of gaps in identifying children at‐risk, these new lines of research could potentially positively impact access to early identification and treatment.This article is categorized under:Linguistics > Language in Mind and BrainNeuroscience > DevelopmentLinguistics > Language Acquisition

The Chinese version of the Gold-MSI: Adaptation and validation of an inventory for the measurement of musical sophistication in a Taiwanese sample

This study presents the Chinese adaptation of the Goldsmiths Musical Sophistication Index (Gold-MSI), an instrument for measuring individual differences in musical ability and skilled musical behaviour. Its psychometric properties were examined with a Taiwanese sample. The Gold-MSI inventory was translated into Chinese following recommendations from the literature on cross-cultural test development. Subsequently, the psychometric properties of the Chinese Gold-MSI self-report inventory, including the Melody Memory Task and the Beat Alignment Perception Task, were evaluated using an online survey with 1,065 participants. Results of confirmatory factor analysis suggest that the original factor structure of the Gold-MSI inventory showed an acceptable fit with the data from the Chinese-speaking sample. In addition, the Chinese Gold-MSI inventory shows good reliability. The Melody Memory Task and the Beat Alignment Perception Task also have sufficient test-retest reliability. Finally, correlations between the Chinese Gold-MSI inventory and the Musical-Rhythmic Intelligence subscale of the Eight Multiple Intelligences Questionnaire as well as the two additional music tests provide evidence for convergent and divergent validity. Overall, the data suggest that the Chinese Gold-MSI has good psychometric properties. Percentile norms for the Gold-MSI inventory and the music tests from the present sample are reported for use in future studies. The present study thus makes a valuable contribution to cross-cultural research in music psychology by enabling the comparison between Chinese and Western studies of individual differences in musical ability.

Testing Convergence between Singing and Music Perception Accuracy Using Two Standardized Measures

ABSTRACTResearch on individual differences in musical abilities, and music-related deficits, has increased dramatically in the past 20 years. Although most studies to date concern music perception, in particular the deficit referred to as congenital amusia, a growing area of research has addressed individual differences in singing accuracy and poor-pitch singing. How closely associated are music perception and singing abilities? Several studies to date have reported dissociations between these abilities. However, these studies have tended to use small samples and have not compared leading standardized measures to each other. In the present study, we measured perception and singing abilities in a larger sample (N = 86) on standardized measures of singing accuracy (the Seattle Singing Accuracy Protocol) and music perception (the Online Test of Amuisa). Results revealed stronger associations between these higher-level musical abilities than either measure had with simple pitch discrimination. Analyses in which participants were classified as typical or deficient based on existing norms further suggested that deficits in music perception predict poor-pitch singing deficits more so than the reverse. Taken together, these results suggest that music perception and production may rely on shared higher-order representations of music that play a more important role than basic perception or motor control.

Sing Chinese and tap Tagalog? Predicting individual differences in musical and phonetic aptitude using language families differing by sound-typology

ABSTRACTMusical expertise and working memory (WM) have been isolated as being the most important predictors of phonetic aptitude – meaning the ability to imitate unfamiliar speech material. Although the link between language functions and musical expertise has been subject to many investigations, specific languages and their individual link to musical expertise have largely been neglected. In this investigation, two typologically different languages and their relationship to musical abilities have been investigated in school children (ages 9–10). Results revealed that musical expertise and working memory contribute to the ability to imitate foreign speech material. However, musical abilities are recruited depending on the sound pattern of the language imitated. Children with improved WM and high ability for singing and discriminating tonal differences seem to imitate tone languages faster than their peers. For those who imitate syllable-based Tagalog best, WM and the rhythmical component of music perception influence their performances. Thus it can be suggested that (1) WM may be highly relevant for memorisation, reproduction and imitating speech. (2) Musical expertise (music perception and singing) leads to a positive transfer to language function and (3) individual differences in musical abilities (type of musicality, music discrimination and production) may predict language-dependent preferences for certain sound-structures or properties.

Modelling Melodic Discrimination Tests: Descriptive and Explanatory Approaches

Melodic discrimination tests have been used for many years to assess individual differences in musical abilities. These tests are usually analysed using classical test theory. However, classical test theory is not well suited for optimizing test efficiency or for investigating construct validity. This paper addresses this problem by applying modern item response modelling techniques to three melodic discrimination tests. First, descriptive item response modelling is used to develop a short melodic discrimination test from a larger item pool. The resulting test meets the test-theoretic assumptions of a Rasch (1960) item response model and possesses good concurrent and convergent validity as well as good testing efficiency. Second, an explicit cognitive model of melodic discrimination is used to generate hypotheses relating item difficulty to structural item features such as melodic complexity, similarity, and tonalness. These hypotheses are then tested on response data from three melodic discrimination tests () using explanatory item response modelling. Results indicate that item difficulty is predicted by melodic complexity and melodic similarity, consistent with the proposed cognitive model. This provides useful evidence for construct validity. This paper therefore demonstrates the benefits of item response modelling both for efficient test construction and for test validity.

Measuring individual differences in musical beat alignment perception

Objective tests of musical abilities have been used in education and performance assessment, and as criterion-based measures in music cognition research. However, attempts to rigorously measure individual differences in musical abilities are few and recent (Law & Zentner, 2013; Mullensiefen et al., 2012). We present the psychometric development of a test of beat perception ability based on Iversen and Patel’s BAT procedure (2008). The test uses realistic and ecologically valid stimuli, covers a range of musical ability levels in the non-specialist population, and is compliant with a 1-parameter Rasch measurement model. We also report results from a mass experiment on musical listening abilities and musical behaviours in the general population ( N = cca. 139 000) which showed that individual differences in beat perception abilities are closely related to self-reported behaviours and also to an interaction between an individual’s level of musical training and psychoacoustic features of the stimulus items.

Auditory cortical volumes and musical ability in Williams syndrome

Individuals with Williams syndrome (WS) have been shown to have atypical morphology in the auditory cortex, an area associated with aspects of musicality. Some individuals with WS have demonstrated specific musical abilities, despite intellectual delays. Primary auditory cortex and planum temporale volumes were manually segmented in 25 individuals with WS and 25 control participants, and the participants also underwent testing of musical abilities. Left and right planum temporale volumes were significantly larger in the participants with WS than in controls, with no significant difference noted between groups in planum temporale asymmetry or primary auditory cortical volumes. Left planum temporale volume was significantly increased in a subgroup of the participants with WS who demonstrated specific musical strengths, as compared to the remaining WS participants, and was highly correlated with scores on a musical task. These findings suggest that differences in musical ability within WS may be in part associated with variability in the left auditory cortical region, providing further evidence of cognitive and neuroanatomical heterogeneity within this syndrome.

The EEG: An Adequate Method to Concretize Brain Processes Elicited by Music

Whether or not processing of music by the brain can be reflected in an ongoing EEG was studied in a group of 75 healthy students. The parameters considered were location, power, frequency, and coherence. By means of the Fisher permutation test, significant changes of these parameters with respect to control EEG periods were computed and represented as probability maps of brain electrical activity. In spite of the great individual differences in musical ability, education, and interest of the subjects, a number of specific group differences of the EEG parameters could be elucidated for different musical tasks. Significant differences were also seen between the groups of musically trained and untrained subjects, both during listening and even in their EEGs at rest. In addition, considerable sex differences were observed. Part of these differences, particularly those of the parameter power, are most likely caused by the different degrees of attention elicited by these tasks. The greater part of the observed changes, however, concerns coherence and thus conceivably reflects different degrees of the functional cooperation of two adjacent brain regions or the two hemispheres in several musical perception tasks.

Differences in Musical Ability in Children of Different National and Racial Origin

* Recommended for publication by Paul L. Schroeder, accepted by Carl Murchison of the Editorial Board, and received in the Editorial Office, August 1, 1932. 1 This paper is an abstract of a thesis done at the Institute for Juvenile Research in partial fulfillment for the degree of Master of Arts at the University of Illinois. The data have been much abbreviated for the purpose of publication, but complete data may be secured by writing to the author. Studies from the Institute for Juvenile Research, Chicago, Series C, No. 205.