Commonality and variation in mental representations of music revealed by a cross-cultural comparison of rhythm priors in 15 countries

Nature Human Behaviour, Год журнала: 2024, Номер 8(5), С. 846 - 877

Опубликована: Март 4, 2024

Abstract Music is present in every known society but varies from place to place. What, if anything, universal music cognition? We measured a signature of mental representations rhythm 39 participant groups 15 countries, spanning urban societies and Indigenous populations. Listeners reproduced random ‘seed’ rhythms; their reproductions were fed back as the stimulus (as game ‘telephone’), such that biases (the prior) could be estimated distribution reproductions. Every tested group showed sparse prior with peaks at integer-ratio rhythms. However, importance different integer ratios varied across groups, often reflecting local musical practices. Our results suggest common feature cognition: discrete ‘categories’ small-integer ratios. These plausibly stabilize systems face cultural transmission interact culture-specific traditions yield diversity evident when are probed many cultures.

Язык: Английский

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Spectro-temporal acoustical markers differentiate speech from song across cultures

Nature Communications, Год журнала: 2024, Номер 15(1)

Опубликована: Июнь 6, 2024

Abstract Humans produce two forms of cognitively complex vocalizations: speech and song. It is debated whether these differ based primarily on culturally specific, learned features, or if acoustical features can reliably distinguish them. We study the spectro-temporal modulation patterns vocalizations produced by 369 people living in 21 urban, rural, small-scale societies across six continents. Specific ranges spectral temporal modulations, overlapping within categories societies, significantly differentiate from Machine-learning classification shows that this effect cross-culturally robust, being classified solely their all societies. Listeners unfamiliar with cultures classify using similar cues as machine learning algorithm. Finally, are better able to discriminate song than a broad range other variables, suggesting modulation—a key feature auditory neuronal tuning—accounts for fundamental difference between categories.

Язык: Английский

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Participant and Musical Diversity in Music Psychology Research

Music & Science, Год журнала: 2025, Номер 8

Опубликована: Янв. 1, 2025

Research on music psychology has increased exponentially over the past half century, providing insights a wide range of topics underpinning perception, cognition, and production music. This wealth research means we are now in place to develop specific, testable theories music, with potential impact our wider understanding human biology, culture, communication. However, development more widely applicable inclusive responses requires these be informed by data that is representative global population its diverse music-making practices. The goal present paper survey current state field terms participant samples musical used. We reviewed coded relevant details from all articles published Music Perception, Musicae Scientiae, Psychology between 2010 2022. found psychologists show substantial tendency collect young adults university students Western countries response replicating trends seen across as whole. Even collected non-Western tends come similar demographic studies participants (e.g., students, adults). Some positive toward increasing diversity have been evidenced decade, although there still much work done, certain subtopics appear prone sampling biases than others. discuss recent methodological developments promote further diversification highlight subsequent changes will needed at group or institutional levels.

Язык: Английский

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Music as a social instrument: a brief historical and conceptual perspective

Frontiers in Cognition, Год журнала: 2025, Номер 4

Опубликована: Фев. 24, 2025

This article addresses the origins and purpose of communal music-making, including dance, its role in human sociality. It accords special significance to adapted nature vocalization, sensorimotor discrimination that allows prediction then generation musically relevant, coordinated simultaneous movements. Commencing with a historical survey development ideas about evolutionary importance music social behavior, this mini-review sets out define explore key issues involved an explanation. These include: acquisition control parameters required for vocal production (synchronization pitch, timbre, duration loudness); exchange transmission pitched utterances unison as well harmony; roles natural sexual selection shaping musical abilities; cooperative consequences bonding such interaction throughout life; behaviors across generations, between genes culture drives evolution complex behavior Homo sapiens . The concludes brief review current research deals contributory features field, especially neuroscience which continues provide important psychophysiological data reinforces long-held proposal has promoting cooperative, prosocial interactions leading health wellbeing over lifespan.

Язык: Английский

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Isochrony as ancestral condition to call and song in a primate

Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, Год журнала: 2024, Номер 1537(1), С. 41 - 50

Опубликована: Июнь 25, 2024

Abstract Animal songs differ from calls in function and structure, have comparative translational value, showing similarities to human music. Rhythm music is often distributed quantized classes of intervals known as rhythmic categories. These been found the a few nonhuman species but never their calls. Are categories song‐specific, music, or can they transcend song–call boundary? We analyze vocal displays one mammals producing both call sequences: Indri indri . test whether (a) are conserved across produced different contexts, (b) exist sequences, (c) between sequences. show that occur displays. Vocalization type modulate deployment find isochrony (1:1 ratio, like rhythm ticking clock) all song types, only advertisement three (1:1, 1:2, 2:1 ratios). Like songs, some types also isochronous. Isochrony backbone most vocalizations, unlike speech, where it rare. In indri, underlies hierarchy‐less sequences might be ancestral both.

Язык: Английский

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Biological principles for music and mental health

Translational Psychiatry, Год журнала: 2023, Номер 13(1)

Опубликована: Дек. 4, 2023

Abstract Efforts to integrate music into healthcare systems and wellness practices are accelerating but the biological foundations supporting these initiatives remain underappreciated. As a result, music-based interventions often sidelined in medicine. Here, I bring together advances research from neuroscience, psychology, psychiatry bridge music’s specific human biology with its therapeutic applications. The framework propose organizes neurophysiological effects of around four core elements musicality: tonality, rhythm, reward, sociality. For each, review key concepts, bases, evidence clinical benefits. Within this framework, outline strategy increase impact on health based standardizing treatments their alignment individual differences responsivity musical elements. that an integrated understanding musicality—describing each element’s functional origins, development, phylogeny, neural bases—is critical advancing rational applications mental wellness.

Язык: Английский

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Group singing is globally dominant and associated with social context

Royal Society Open Science, Год журнала: 2023, Номер 10(9)

Опубликована: Сен. 1, 2023

Music is an interactive technology associated with religious and communal activities was suggested to have evolved as a participatory activity supporting social bonding. In post-industrial societies, however, music's role eclipsed by its relatively passive consumption audiences disconnected from performers. It that societies became larger more differentiated, music less focused on solo singing. Here, we consider the prevalence of group singing relationship organization through analysis two global song corpora: 5776 coded audio recordings 1024 4709 ethnographic texts 60 societies. both corpora, find common than singing, it likely in some contexts (e.g. rituals, dance) others healing, infant care). contrast, relationships between structure (community size or differentiation) were not consistent within corpora. While cannot exclude possibility sampling bias leading systematic under-sampling our results large corpora different data types provide support for nature complex sociality.

Язык: Английский

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Linear phase property of speech envelope tracking response in Heschl’s gyrus and superior temporal gyrus

Cortex, Год журнала: 2025, Номер unknown

Опубликована: Март 1, 2025

Язык: Английский

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The role of musical aspects of language in human cognition

Frontiers in Psychology, Год журнала: 2025, Номер 16

Опубликована: Март 21, 2025

This paper reviews musicology, linguistics, cognitive psychology, and neuroscience research on the importance of music in developing human speech cognition. It cites from several scientific fields how brain processes reacts to melody, rhythm, harmony, loudness, dynamics types articulation timbre. also discusses musical concepts prosodic features such as intonation, rhythm stress related linguistic terminology summarises results earlier two systems interact strengthen or weaken an individual’s ability function without nurturing stimulation. Music is important preventive therapeutic factor for life. The author describes interplay between language nervous system, improving hindering communication it affects us personally impacts societal mental health.

Язык: Английский

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Rhythmic Analysis in Animal Communication, Speech, and Music: The Normalized Pairwise Variability Index Is a Summary Statistic of Rhythm Ratios

Vibration, Год журнала: 2025, Номер 8(2), С. 12 - 12

Опубликована: Март 24, 2025

Rhythm is fundamental in many physical and biological systems. relevant to a broad range of phenomena across different fields, including animal bioacoustics, speech sciences, music cognition. As result, the interest developing consistent quantitative measures for cross-disciplinary rhythmic analysis growing. Two that can be directly applied any temporal structure are normalized pairwise variability index (nPVI) rhythm ratios (rk). The nPVI summarizes overall isochrony sequence, i.e., how regularly spaced sequence’s events are, as single value. Meanwhile, rk quantifies between adjacent intervals often used identifying categories. Here, we show these two fundamentally connected: summary static values sequence. This result offers deeper understanding applied. It also opens door creating novel, custom quantify patterns based on distribution compare domains. explicit connection one further step towards common toolkit research disciplines.

Язык: Английский

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