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This research aims to advance the understanding of audio branding by investigating the effect of an understudied auditory attribute, timbre, in the context of brand audio logos. Specifically, the authors propose, and provide evidence in ten studies, that timbral sound quality in audio logos (i.e., roughness/smoothness) informs abstract judgments of brand personality (i.e., ruggedness/sophistication). Study 1 shows that the industry practice of altering instrumentation, and thus timbre, in audio logos can change personality perceptions of even well-known brands. This effect persists when the sound source is kept constant with various instruments (Studies 2a–2d), with a combination of instruments (Study 3), and in the absence of an identifiable sound source (Study 4). The authors test specific acoustic underpinnings of timbral sound quality perceptions (Study 4) and show that the effect on brand personality judgments is counteracted by incongruent sensory information from another modality (Study 5). The results of Study 6 suggest that the influence of timbral sound quality on brand personality perceptions is nonconscious, as consumers are unaware of the extent to which the stimulus affects their judgments. Study 7 shows downstream consequences for purchase intentions. Practical implications, theoretical contributions, and directions for future research are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Music is based on various regularities, ranging from the repetition of physical sounds to theoretically organized harmony and counterpoint. How are multidimensional regularities processed when we listen to music? The present study focuses on the redundant signals effect (RSE) as a novel approach to untangling the relationship between these regularities in music. The RSE refers to the occurrence of a shorter reaction time (RT) when two or three signals are presented simultaneously than when only one of these signals is presented, and provides evidence that these signals are processed concurrently. In two experiments, chords that deviated from tonal (harmonic) and acoustic (intensity and timbre) regularities were presented occasionally in the final position of short chord sequences. The participants were asked to detect all deviant chords while withholding their responses to non-deviant chords (i.e., the Go/NoGo task). RSEs were observed in all double- and triple-deviant combinations, reflecting processing of multidimensional regularities. Further analyses suggested evidence of coactivation by separate perceptual modules in the combination of tonal and acoustic deviants, but not in the combination of two acoustic deviants. These results imply that tonal and acoustic regularities are different enough to be processed as two discrete pieces of information. Examining the underlying process of RSE may elucidate the relationship between multidimensional regularity processing in music. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Different theories have been proposed to explain the perception of a root in a pitch set, with Terhardt's (1984) virtual pitch theory being the one generally considered most plausible, despite none of them having been confirmed empirically. Understanding the perceived root phenomenon is an essential component in explaining the origin of the major and minor triads as the most fundamental chords in twelve-tone equal temperament or 5-limit just intonation, as well as in proposing new chords for new tunings. This music perception study, in which 42 participants rated chords in 10 different tunings, empirically establishes harmonic dualism, negative harmony, and Barlow's harmonicity as the key factors for the perception of the harmonic root and the origin of the major and minor triads, and proposes a model as a basis for a tuning-agnostic—trans-spatial—music theory. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present longitudinal study investigated the hypothesis that early musical skills (as measured by melodic and rhythmic perception and memory) predict later literacy development via a mediating effect of phonology. We examined 130 French‐speaking children, 31 of whom with a familial risk for developmental dyslexia (DD). Their abilities in the three domains were assessed longitudinally with a comprehensive battery of behavioral tests in kindergarten, first grade, and second grade. Using a structural equation modeling approach, we examined potential longitudinal effects from music to literacy via phonology. We then investigated how familial risk for DD may influence these relationships by testing whether atypical music processing is a risk factor for DD. Results showed that children with a familial risk for DD consistently underperformed children without familial risk in music, phonology, and literacy. A small effect of musical ability on literacy via phonology was observed, but may have been induced by differences in stability across domains over time. Furthermore, early musical skills did not add significant predictive power to later literacy difficulties beyond phonological skills and family risk status. These findings are consistent with the idea that certain key auditory skills are shared between music and speech processing, and between DD and congenital amusia. However, they do not support the notion that music perception and memory skills can serve as a reliable early marker of DD, nor as a valuable target for reading remediation. Research Highlights: Music, phonology, and literacy skills of 130 children, 31 of whom with a familial risk for dyslexia, were examined longitudinally.Children with a familial risk for dyslexia consistently underperformed children without familial risk in musical, phonological, and literacy skills.Structural equation models showed a small effect of musical ability in kindergarten on literacy in second grade, via phonology in first grade.However, early musical skills did not add significant predictive power to later literacy difficulties beyond phonological skills and family risk status. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Auditory scene analysis (ASA) is the process through which the auditory system makes sense of complex acoustic environments by organising sound mixtures into meaningful events and streams. Although music psychology has acknowledged the fundamental role of ASA in shaping music perception, no efficient test to quantify listeners' ASA abilities in realistic musical scenarios has yet been published. This study presents a new tool for testing ASA abilities in the context of music, suitable for both normal-hearing (NH) and hearing-impaired (HI) individuals: the adaptive Musical Scene Analysis (MSA) test. The test uses a simple 'yes–no' task paradigm to determine whether the sound from a single target instrument is heard in a mixture of popular music. During the online calibration phase, 525 NH and 131 HI listeners were recruited. The level ratio between the target instrument and the mixture, choice of target instrument, and number of instruments in the mixture were found to be important factors affecting item difficulty, whereas the influence of the stereo width (induced by inter-aural level differences) only had a minor effect. Based on a Bayesian logistic mixed-effects model, an adaptive version of the MSA test was developed. In a subsequent validation experiment with 74 listeners (20 HI), MSA scores showed acceptable test–retest reliability and moderate correlations with other music-related tests, pure-tone-average audiograms, age, musical sophistication, and working memory capacities. The MSA test is a user-friendly and efficient open-source tool for evaluating musical ASA abilities and is suitable for profiling the effects of hearing impairment on music perception. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Music is ubiquitous, both in its instrumental and vocal forms. While speech perception at birth has been at the core of an extensive corpus of research, the origins of the ability to discriminate instrumental or vocal melodies is still not well investigated. In previous studies comparing vocal and musical perception, the vocal stimuli were mainly related to speaking, including language, and not to the non‐language singing voice. In the present study, to better compare a melodic instrumental line with the voice, we used singing as a comparison stimulus, to reduce the dissimilarities between the two stimuli as much as possible, separating language perception from vocal musical perception. In the present study, 45 newborns were scanned, 10 full‐term born infants and 35 preterm infants at term‐equivalent age (mean gestational age at test = 40.17 weeks, SD = 0.44) using functional magnetic resonance imaging while listening to five melodies played by a musical instrument (flute) or sung by a female voice. To examine the dynamic task‐based effective connectivity, we employed a psychophysiological interaction of co‐activation patterns (PPI‐CAPs) analysis, using the auditory cortices as seed region, to investigate moment‐to‐moment changes in task‐driven modulation of cortical activity during an fMRI task. Our findings reveal condition‐specific, dynamically occurring patterns of co‐activation (PPI‐CAPs). During the vocal condition, the auditory cortex co‐activates with the sensorimotor and salience networks, while during the instrumental condition, it co‐activates with the visual cortex and the superior frontal cortex. Our results show that the vocal stimulus elicits sensorimotor aspects of the auditory perception and is processed as a more salient stimulus while the instrumental condition activated higher‐order cognitive and visuo‐spatial networks. Common neural signatures for both auditory stimuli were found in the precuneus and posterior cingulate gyrus. Finally, this study adds knowledge on the dynamic brain connectivity underlying the newborns capability of early and specialized auditory processing, highlighting the relevance of dynamic approaches to study brain function in newborn populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This study aimed to investigate the effects of low frequency (LF) pitch perception on speech-in-noise and music perception performance by children with cochlear implants (CIC) and typical hearing (THC). Moreover, the relationships between speech-in-noise and music perception as well as the effects of demographic and audiological factors on present research outcomes were studied. Methods: The sample consisted of 22 CIC and 20 THC (7–10 years). Harmonic intonation (HI) and disharmonic intonation (DI) tests were used to assess LF pitch perception. Speech perception in quiet (WRSq)/noise (WRSn + 10) were tested with the Italian bisyllabic words for pediatric populations. The Gordon test was used to evaluate music perception (rhythm, melody, harmony, and overall). Results: CIC/THC performance comparisons for LF pitch, speech-in-noise, and all music measures except harmony revealed statistically significant differences with large effect sizes. For the CI group, HI showed statistically significant correlations with melody discrimination. Melody/total Gordon scores were significantly correlated with WRSn + 10. For the overall group, HI/DI showed significant correlations with all music perception measures and WRSn + 10. Hearing thresholds showed significant effects on HI/DI scores. Hearing thresholds and WRSn + 10 scores were significantly correlated; both revealed significant effects on all music perception scores. CI age had significant effects on WRSn + 10, harmony, and total Gordon scores (p < 0.05). Conclusion: Such findings confirmed the significant effects of LF pitch perception on complex listening performance. Significant speech-in-noise and music perception correlations were as promising as results from recent studies indicating significant positive effects of music training on speech-in-noise recognition in CIC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In a previous study, we found that musical learning of novices was equally accurate (in terms of playing the correct rhythms and pitches) when learning in a solo or duo setting. Intrigued by these findings, we conducted a follow-up experiment investigating whether the learning outcomes differed in subjective terms as perceived by listeners judging the performances. Here, expert musicians were asked to discern whether melodies learned under conditions of synchrony, turn-taking, or imitation were likely learned individually or with a partner. In addition, they evaluated the learners' proficiency in playing the melodies, assessing expressiveness, the clarity of their articulation and phrasing, as well as the overall coherence of the performances. Listeners showed differential responses to both the learning condition and the pairing (solo or duo) in which the melodies were learned. Although the outcome did not yield salient-enough results for significant clusters of responses to emerge, our findings could inspire future research to delve into the question of discernible signatures between individual and group musical learning by adopting a longitudinal approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: This study investigated how different hearing profiles influenced melodic contour identification (MCI) in a real-world concert setting with a live band including drums, bass, and a lead instrument. We aimed to determine the impact of various auditory assistive technologies on music perception in an ecologically valid environment. Methods: The study involved 43 participants with varying hearing capabilities: normal hearing, bilateral hearing aids, bimodal hearing, single-sided cochlear implants, and bilateral cochlear implants. Participants were exposed to melodies played on a piano or accordion, with and without an electric bass as a masker, accompanied by a basic drum rhythm. Bayesian logistic mixed-effects models were utilized to analyze the data. Results: The introduction of an electric bass as a masker did not significantly affect MCI performance for any hearing group when melodies were played on the piano, contrary to its effect on accordion melodies and previous studies. Greater challenges were observed with accordion melodies, especially when accompanied by an electric bass. Conclusions: MCI performance among hearing aid users was comparable to other hearing-impaired profiles, challenging the hypothesis that they would outperform cochlear implant users. A cohort of short melodies inspired by Western music styles was developed for future contour identification tasks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

THE SPEECH-TO-SONG ILLUSION IS A PERCEPTUAL transformation in which a spoken phrase initially heard as speech begins to sound like song across repetitions. In two experiments, we tested whether phrase-specific learning and memory processes engaged by repetition contribute to the illusion. In Experiment 1, participants heard 16 phrases across two conditions. In both conditions, participants heard eight repetitions of each phrase and rated their experience after each repetition using a 10-point scale from ''sounds like speech'' to ''sounds like song.'' The conditions differed in whether the repetitions were heard consecutively or interleaved such that participants were exposed to other phrases between each repetition. The illusion was strongest when exposures to phrases happened consecutively, but phrases were still rated as more song-like after interleaved exposures. In Experiment 2, participants heard eight consecutive repetitions of each of eight phrases. Seven days later, participants were exposed to eight consecutive repetitions of the eight phrases heard previously as well as eight novel phrases. The illusion was preserved across a delay of one week: familiar phrases were rated as more song-like in session two than novel phrases. The results provide evidence for the role of rapid phrase-specific learning and long-term memory in the speech-to-song illusion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nowadays there are multiple ways to perceive music, from attending concerts (live) to listening to recorded music through headphones (medial). In between there are many mixed modes, such as playback performances. In empirical music research, this plurality of performance forms has so far found little recognition. Until now no measuring instrument has existed that could adequately capture the differences in perception and aesthetic judgment. The purpose of our empirical investigation was to capture all dimensions relevant to such an assessment. Using 3D-simulations and dynamic binaural synthesis, various live and medial situations were simulated. A qualitative survey was conducted at the Department of Audio Communication of the Technical University of Berlin (TU Berlin). With the help of the repertory grid technique, a data pool of approximately 400 attribute pairs was created and individual rating data were collected. Our first study served to create a semantic differential. In a second study, this semantic differential was evaluated. The development of the semantic differential was carried out by first using a mixed-method approach to qualitative analysis according to grounded theory. Thereafter, a principal component analysis reduced the attribute pairs to 67 items in four components. The semantic differential consists of items concerning acoustic, visual and audio-visual interaction as well as items with an overarching assessment of the stimuli. The evaluation study, comprising 45 participants (23 male and 22 female, M  =  42.56  years, SD  =  17.16) who rated 12 stimuli each, reduced the items to 61 and resulted in 18 subscales and nine single items. Because the survey used simulations, the social component may be underrepresented. Nevertheless, the questionnaire we created enables the evaluation of music performances (especially for classical concerts) in a new scope, thus opening many opportunities for further research. For example, in a live concert context, we observed not only that seating position influences the judgment of sound quality but also that visual elements influence immersion and felt affect. In the future, the differential could be reviewed for a larger stimulus pool, extended or used modularly for different research questions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The most prevalent sensory impairment impacting the elderly is age-related hearing loss (HL), which affects around 65% of individuals over the age of 60 years. This bilateral, symmetrical sensorineural impairment profoundly affects auditory perception, speech discrimination, and the overall understanding of auditory signals. Influenced by diverse factors, age-related HL can substantially influence an individual's quality of life and mental health and can lead to depression. Cochlear implantation (CI) stands as a standard intervention, yet despite advancements, music perception challenges persist, which can be addressed with individualized music therapy. This case report describes the journey of an 81-year-old musician through profound sensorineural hearing loss, cochlear implantation, and rehabilitative music therapy. Auditory evaluations, musical exercises, and quality of life assessments highlighted meaningful improvements in music perception, auditory skills, and overall satisfaction post-implantation. Music therapy facilitated emotional, functional, and musical levels of engagement, notably enhancing his ability to perceive melody, rhythm, and different instruments. Moreover, subjective assessments and audiograms indicated marked improvements in auditory differentiation, music enjoyment, and overall hearing thresholds. This comprehensive approach integrating bilateral CIs and music therapy showcased audiological and quality of life enhancements in an elderly individual with profound hearing loss, emphasizing the efficacy of this combined treatment approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This document is an editorial published in Frontiers in Human Neuroscience titled "Early development of sound processing in the service of speech and music perception." The editorial discusses the importance of understanding how infants process sound, particularly speech and music, as it provides insights into the neural and processing prerequisites of speech and music perception. The document summarizes empirical studies and reviews in four main research areas: higher-order auditory functions supporting speech and music processing, rhythm, speech processing in infants, and predicting language developmental outcomes. The authors highlight the progress being made in the field of studying the roots and early development of speech and music perception. [Extracted from the article]

The most prevalent sensory impairment impacting the elderly is age-related hearing loss (HL), which affects around 65% of individuals over the age of 60 years. This bilateral, symmetrical sensorineural impairment profoundly affects auditory perception, speech discrimination, and the overall understanding of auditory signals. Influenced by diverse factors, age-related HL can substantially influence an individual’s quality of life and mental health and can lead to depression. Cochlear implantation (CI) stands as a standard intervention, yet despite advancements, music perception challenges persist, which can be addressed with individualized music therapy. This case report describes the journey of an 81-year-old musician through profound sensorineural hearing loss, cochlear implantation, and rehabilitative music therapy. Auditory evaluations, musical exercises, and quality of life assessments highlighted meaningful improvements in music perception, auditory skills, and overall satisfaction post-implantation. Music therapy facilitated emotional, functional, and musical levels of engagement, notably enhancing his ability to perceive melody, rhythm, and different instruments. Moreover, subjective assessments and audiograms indicated marked improvements in auditory differentiation, music enjoyment, and overall hearing thresholds. This comprehensive approach integrating bilateral CIs and music therapy showcased audiological and quality of life enhancements in an elderly individual with profound hearing loss, emphasizing the efficacy of this combined treatment approach.

We describe the development and validation of a test battery to assess musical ability that taps into a broad range of music perception skills and can be administered in 10 minutes or less. In Study 1, we derived four very brief versions from the Profile of Music Perception Skills (PROMS) and examined their properties in a sample of 280 participants. In Study 2 (N = 109), we administered the version retained from Study 1—termed Micro-PROMS—with the full-length PROMS, finding a short-to-long-form correlation of r =.72. In Study 3 (N = 198), we removed redundant trials and examined test–retest reliability as well as convergent, discriminant, and criterion validity. Results showed adequate internal consistency ( ω ¯ =.73) and test–retest reliability (ICC =.83). Findings supported convergent validity of the Micro-PROMS (r =.59 with the MET, p <.01) as well as discriminant validity with short-term and working memory (r ≲.20). Criterion-related validity was evidenced by significant correlations of the Micro-PROMS with external indicators of musical proficiency ( r ¯ =.37, ps <.01), and with Gold-MSI General Musical Sophistication (r =.51, p<.01). In virtue of its brevity, psychometric qualities, and suitability for online administration, the battery fills a gap in the tools available to objectively assess musical ability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Music is a highly complex acoustic stimulus in both spectral and temporal contents. Accurate representation and delivery of high‐fidelity information are essential for music perception. However, it is unclear how well bone‐anchored hearing implants (BAHIs) transmit music. The study objective is to establish music perception performance baselines for BAHI users and normal hearing (NH) listeners and compare outcomes between the cohorts. Methods: A case‐controlled, cross‐sectional study was conducted among 18 BAHI users and 11 NH controls. Music perception was assessed via performance on seven major musical element tasks: pitch discrimination, melodic contour identification, rhythmic clocking, basic tempo discrimination, timbre identification, polyphonic pitch detection, and harmonic chord discrimination. Results: BAHI users performed comparably well on all music perception tasks with their device compared with the unilateral condition with their better‐hearing ear. BAHI performance was not statistically significantly different from NH listeners' performance. BAHI users performed just as well, if not better than NH listeners when using their control contralateral ear; there was no significant difference between the two groups except for the rhythmic timing (BAHI non‐implanted ear 69% [95% CI: 62%–75%], NH 56% [95% CI: 49%–63%], p = 0.02), and basic tempo tasks (BAHI non‐implanted ear 80% [95% CI: 65%–95%]; NH 75% [95% CI: 68%–82%, p = 0.03]). Conclusions: This study represents the first comprehensive study of basic music perception performance in BAHI users. Our results demonstrate that BAHI users perform as well with their implanted ear as with their contralateral better‐hearing ear and NH controls in the major elements of music perception. Level of Evidence: 3 Laryngoscope, 134:1381–1387, 2024 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Music has the ability to captivate and engage people from all walks of life and in a wide range of situations. Music psychologists seek to understand the various psychological processes that are involved in music listening and making, including perception, cognition, motor skills, and emotion. In recent years, music psychology researchers have begun to collect data in real-life settings, such as concerts of live music. This approach offers a unique opportunity to connect with a wide variety of participants and at the same time gain insights that may not be available in laboratory settings. In this Letter to the Editor, we report on the novel format of an outreach activity called the Golden Ear Challenge that introduces a gamified component and thus unifies concert research and science communication. First organized at the University of Oldenburg in October 2022, the activity uses this format to demonstrate the approaches and methods of music psychology in an accessible and engaging way. By providing accessible and informative content, it aims to inspire people from various backgrounds to learn more about science and, in particular, the fascinating field of music psychology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study tests the hypothesis that emotions of fear and anger are associated with distinct psychophysiological and neural circuitry according to discrete emotion model due to contrasting neurotransmitter activities, despite being included in the same affective group in many studies due to similar arousal-valance scores of them in emotion models. EEG data is downloaded from OpenNeuro platform with access number of ds002721. Brain connectivity estimations are obtained by using both functional and effective connectivity estimators in analysis of short (2 sec) and long (6 sec) EEG segments across the cortex. In tests, discrete emotions and resting-states are identified by frequency band specific brain network measures and then contrasting emotional states are deep classified with 5-fold cross-validated Long Short Term Memory Networks. Logistic regression modeling has also been examined to provide robust performance criteria. Commonly, the best results are obtained by using Partial Directed Coherence in Gamma ( 31.5 - 60.5 H z ) sub-bands of short EEG segments. In particular, Fear and Anger have been classified with accuracy of 91.79%. Thus, our hypothesis is supported by overall results. In conclusion, Anger is found to be characterized by increased transitivity and decreased local efficiency in addition to lower modularity in Gamma-band in comparison to fear. Local efficiency refers functional brain segregation originated from the ability of the brain to exchange information locally. Transitivity refer the overall probability for the brain having adjacent neural populations interconnected, thus revealing the existence of tightly connected cortical regions. Modularity quantifies how well the brain can be partitioned into functional cortical regions. In conclusion, PDC is proposed to graph theoretical analysis of short EEG epochs in presenting robust emotional indicators sensitive to perception of affective sounds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent investigations on music performances have shown the relevance of singers' body motion for pedagogical as well as performance purposes. However, little is known about how the perception of voice-matching or task complexity affects choristers' body motion during ensemble singing. This study focussed on the body motion of choral singers who perform in duo along with a pre-recorded tune presented over a loudspeaker. Specifically, we examined the effects of the perception of voice-matching, operationalized in terms of sound spectral envelope, and task complexity on choristers' body motion. Fifteen singers with advanced choral experience first manipulated the spectral components of a pre-recorded short tune composed for the study, by choosing the settings they felt most and least together with. Then, they performed the tune in unison (i.e., singing the same melody simultaneously) and in canon (i.e., singing the same melody but at a temporal delay) with the chosen filter settings. Motion data of the choristers' upper body and audio of the repeated performances were collected and analyzed. Results show that the settings perceived as least together relate to extreme differences between the spectral components of the sound. The singers' wrists and torso motion was more periodic, their upper body posture was more open, and their bodies were more distant from the music stand when singing in unison than in canon. These findings suggest that unison singing promotes an expressive-periodic motion of the upper body. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Cochlear implants (CIs), which are designed to support spoken communication of persons with severe to profound hearing loss, can provide improved hearing capability through passive exposure. However, auditory training may optimize perception of spectrally complex sounds such as music or speech. Reviews of music-based training for pediatric CI users have reported modest though variable benefits, as well as problems with attrition. It is presumed that more substantial changes may result from longer, more intensive training; however, the development of protocols sufficiently motivating for sustained intensity is challenging. This article examined the experiences of star pediatric CI users, whose years of music training have yielded exceptional auditory benefits. Greater understanding of their experiences and attitudes may suggest best practices for music-based training. Research aims included: (a) characterizing the musical behaviors and perceptual learning processes of music-centric (Musiccentric, for purposes of this paper, refers to CI users who engage in sustained and successful music making such as music lessons and ensembles and focused music listening over a period of years, and who derive deep satisfaction from those experiences.) pediatric CI users, and (b) identifying psychosocial and auditory factors that motivated persistence in auditory training. Methods: We used qualitative and patient-engaged research methodologies, gathering data through questionnaires with open-ended questions. The participants, six music-centric CI users and five parents, described their experiences and attitudes regarding music training, and factors that supported or undermined those experiences. Data were analyzed using reflexive thematic analysis. Results: The codes were consolidated into five themes and organized into a Model of Music-Based Learning for Pediatric Cochlear Implant Recipients. Sustained participation in music training was perceived as a dynamic process including varied musical stimuli, and moderated by intrinsic (attitude, perceived behavioral control) and extrinsic (parents, teachers, peers) influences, hearing status, sound access and background factors. Discussion: These themes highlighted motivational factors that pediatric CI users and parents considered important to sustained, intensive and successful music learning throughout childhood and adolescence. These factors should be considered in the development of music-based training for pediatric CI recipients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nowadays there are multiple ways to perceive music, from attending concerts (live) to listening to recorded music through headphones (medial). In between there are many mixed modes, such as playback performances. In empirical music research, this plurality of performance forms has so far found little recognition. Until now no measuring instrument has existed that could adequately capture the differences in perception and aesthetic judgment. The purpose of our empirical investigation was to capture all dimensions relevant to such an assessment. Using 3D-simulations and dynamic binaural synthesis, various live and medial situations were simulated. A qualitative survey was conducted at the Department of Audio Communication of the Technical University of Berlin (TU Berlin). With the help of the repertory grid technique, a data pool of approximately 400 attribute pairs was created and individual rating data were collected. Our first study served to create a semantic differential. In a second study, this semantic differential was evaluated. The development of the semantic differential was carried out by first using a mixed-method approach to qualitative analysis according to grounded theory. Thereafter, a principal component analysis reduced the attribute pairs to 67 items in four components. The semantic differential consists of items concerning acoustic, visual and audio-visual interaction as well as items with an overarching assessment of the stimuli. The evaluation study, comprising 45 participants (23 male and 22 female, M = 42.56 years, SD = 17.16) who rated 12 stimuli each, reduced the items to 61 and resulted in 18 subscales and nine single items. Because the survey used simulations, the social component may be underrepresented. Nevertheless, the questionnaire we created enables the evaluation of music performances (especially for classical concerts) in a new scope, thus opening many opportunities for further research. For example, in a live concert context, we observed not only that seating position influences the judgment of sound quality but also that visual elements influence immersion and felt affect. In the future, the differential could be reviewed for a larger stimulus pool, extended or used modularly for different research questions.

Electric stimulation via a cochlear implant (CI) enables people with severe-to-profound sensorineural hearing loss to regain speech understanding and music appreciation and, thus, allow them to actively engage in social life. Three main manufacturers (CochlearTM, MED-ELTM, and Advanced BionicsTM “AB”) have been offering CI systems, thus challenging CI recipients and otolaryngologists with a difficult decision as currently no comprehensive overview or meta-analysis on performance outcomes following CI implantation is available. The main goals of this scoping review were to (1) map the literature on speech and music performance outcomes and to (2) find whether studies have performed outcome comparisons between devices of different manufacturers. To this end, a literature search was conducted to find studies that address speech and music outcomes in CI recipients. From a total of 1592 papers, 188 paper abstracts were analyzed and 147 articles were found suitable for an examination of full text. From these, 42 studies were included for synthesis. A total of 16 studies used the consonant-nucleus-consonant (CNC) word recognition test in quiet at 60 db SPL. We found that aside from technical comparisons, very few publications compared speech outcomes across manufacturers of CI systems. However, evidence suggests that these data are available in large CI centers in Germany and the US. Future studies should therefore leverage large data cohorts to perform such comparisons, which could provide critical evaluation criteria and assist both CI recipients and otolaryngologists to make informed performance-based decisions.

Music plays a significant role in various celebratory occasions and is integral to the human experience. This article focuses on six components of music perception: pitch, melody and contour, harmony, timbre, structure, and temporal events. By examining studies on infant music perception, it becomes evident that these components are innately present rather than acquired through learning. The findings of this research contribute to a better understanding of these innate qualities and provide insights into human musicality and language development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: A growing body of research has investigated how performing arts training, and more specifically, music training, impacts the brain. Recent meta-analytic work has identified multiple brain areas where activity varies as a function of levels of musical expertise gained through music training. However, research has also shown that musical sophistication may be high even without music training. Thus, we aim to extend previous work by investigating whether the functional connectivity of these areas relates to interindividual differences in musical sophistication, and to characterize differences in connectivity attributed to performing arts training. Methods: We analyzed resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging from n = 74 participants, of whom 37 received performing arts training, that is, including a musical instrument, singing, and/or acting, at university level. We used a validated, continuous measure of musical sophistication to further characterize our sample. Following standard pre-processing, fifteen brain areas were identified a priori based on meta-analytic work and used as seeds in separate seed-to-voxel analyses to examine the effect of musical sophistication across the sample, and between-group analyses to examine the effects of performing arts training. Results: Connectivity of bilateral superior temporal gyrus, bilateral precentral gyrus and cerebellum, and bilateral putamen, left insula, and left thalamus varied with different aspects of musical sophistication. By including these measures of these aspects as covariates in post hoc analyses, we found that connectivity of the right superior temporal gyrus and left precentral gyrus relate to effects of performing arts training beyond effects of individual musical sophistication. Discussion: Our results highlight the potential role of sensory areas in active engagement with music, the potential role of motor areas in emotion processing, and the potential role of connectivity between putamen and lingual gyrus in general musical sophistication. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Electric stimulation via a cochlear implant (CI) enables people with severe-to-profound sensorineural hearing loss to regain speech understanding and music appreciation and, thus, allow them to actively engage in social life. Three main manufacturers (CochlearTM, MED-ELTM, and Advanced BionicsTM "AB") have been offering CI systems, thus challenging CI recipients and otolaryngologists with a difficult decision as currently no comprehensive overview or meta-analysis on performance outcomes following CI implantation is available. The main goals of this scoping review were to (1) map the literature on speech and music performance outcomes and to (2) find whether studies have performed outcome comparisons between devices of different manufacturers. To this end, a literature search was conducted to find studies that address speech and music outcomes in CI recipients. From a total of 1592 papers, 188 paper abstracts were analyzed and 147 articles were found suitable for an examination of full text. From these, 42 studies were included for synthesis. A total of 16 studies used the consonant-nucleus-consonant (CNC) word recognition test in quiet at 60 db SPL. We found that aside from technical comparisons, very few publications compared speech outcomes across manufacturers of CI systems. However, evidence suggests that these data are available in large CI centers in Germany and the US. Future studies should therefore leverage large data cohorts to perform such comparisons, which could provide critical evaluation criteria and assist both CI recipients and otolaryngologists to make informed performance-based decisions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Listeners show perceptual benefits (faster and/or more accurate responses) when perceiving speech spoken by a single talker versus multiple talkers, known as talker adaptation. While near-exclusively studied in speech and with talkers, some aspects of talker adaptation might reflect domain-general processes. Music, like speech, is a sound class replete with acoustic variation, such as a multitude of pitch and instrument possibilities. Thus, it was hypothesized that perceptual benefits from structure in the acoustic signal (i.e., hearing the same sound source on every trial) are not specific to speech but rather a general auditory response. Forty nonmusician participants completed a simple musical task that mirrored talker adaptation paradigms. Low- or high-pitched notes were presented in single- and mixed-instrument blocks. Reflecting both music research on pitch and timbre interdependence and mirroring traditional "talker" adaptation paradigms, listeners were faster to make their pitch judgments when presented with a single instrument timbre relative to when the timbre was selected from one of four instruments from trial to trial. A second experiment ruled out the possibility that participants were responding faster to the specific instrument chosen as the single-instrument timbre. Consistent with general theoretical approaches to perception, perceptual benefits from signal structure are not limited to speech. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Musical stimuli are widely used in emotion research and intervention studies. However, reviews have repeatedly noted that a lack of pre‐evaluated musical stimuli is stalling progress in our understanding of specific effects of varying music. Musical stimuli vary along a plethora of dimensions. Of particular interest are emotional valence and tempo. Thus, we aimed to evaluate the emotional valence of a set of slow and fast musical stimuli. N = 102 (mean age: 39.95, SD: 13.60, 61% female) participants rated the perceived emotional valence in 20 fast (>110 beats per minute [bmp]) and 20 slow (<90 bpm) stimuli. Moreover, we collected reports on subjective arousal for each stimulus to explore arousal's association with tempo and valence. Finally, participants completed questionnaires on demographics, mood (profile of mood states), personality (10‐item personality index), musical sophistication (Gold‐music sophistication index), and sound preferences and hearing habits (sound preference and hearing habits questionnaire). Using mixed‐effect model estimates, we identified 19 stimuli that participants rated to have positive valence and 16 stimuli that they rated to have negative valence. Higher age predicted more positive valence ratings across stimuli. Higher tempo and more extreme valence ratings were each associated with higher arousal. Higher educational attainment was also associated with higher arousal reports. Pre‐evaluated stimuli can be used in future musical research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rhythm perception is becoming more and more important in the field of music information processing and music understanding. The study first adopts signal processing methods to extract musical features, then uses feature fusion techniques to integrate features of different modalities into a single feature vector. Based on this model, the study identifies the rhythmic activation function of music and combines it with the hidden Markov model to infer the rhythm of the music. One of the key points of the study is to perform rhythm recognition on music containing drums, to explore the recognition effect. One of the focuses of the study is to recognize the rhythm of music containing drums to explore the recognition effect.In addition, the study also analyzes the Softmax output values of the music and compares the recognition effect of different models. The results show that the rhythm recognition of music using the multimodal deep learning method performs the best in terms of the F-Measure value, the Cemgil value, the Goto value, and the P-score value, with the respective 65.65%, 66.76%, 36.75%, and 36.75%. 66.76%, 36.75%, and 75.68%.Especially in the drum music recognition, the position of each drum music is accurately recognized, proving the model’s effectiveness in this paper. The research provides a new feasible method for the recognition and understanding of music rhythms and a valuable reference for the research in this field.

Background: This study investigated how different hearing profiles influenced melodic contour identification (MCI) in a real-world concert setting with a live band including drums, bass, and a lead instrument. We aimed to determine the impact of various auditory assistive technologies on music perception in an ecologically valid environment. Methods: The study involved 43 participants with varying hearing capabilities: normal hearing, bilateral hearing aids, bimodal hearing, single-sided cochlear implants, and bilateral cochlear implants. Participants were exposed to melodies played on a piano or accordion, with and without an electric bass as a masker, accompanied by a basic drum rhythm. Bayesian logistic mixed-effects models were utilized to analyze the data. Results: The introduction of an electric bass as a masker did not significantly affect MCI performance for any hearing group when melodies were played on the piano, contrary to its effect on accordion melodies and previous studies. Greater challenges were observed with accordion melodies, especially when accompanied by an electric bass. Conclusions: MCI performance among hearing aid users was comparable to other hearing-impaired profiles, challenging the hypothesis that they would outperform cochlear implant users. A cohort of short melodies inspired by Western music styles was developed for future contour identification tasks.

We present a novel approach to representing perceptual and cognitive knowledge, spectral knowledge representation, that is focused on the oscillatory behaviour of the brain. The model is presented in the context of a larger hypothetical cognitive architecture. The model uses literal representations of waves to describe the dynamics of neural assemblies as they process perceived input. We show how the model can be applied to representations of sound, and usefully model music perception, specifically harmonic distance. We demonstrate that the model naturally captures both pitch and chord/key distance as empirically measured by Krumhansl and Kessler, thereby providing an underlying mechanism from which their toroidal model might arise. We evaluate our model with respect to those of Milne and others.

Recent investigations on music performances have shown the relevance of singers' body motion for pedagogical as well as performance purposes. However, little is known about how the perception of voice-matching or task complexity affects choristers' body motion during ensemble singing. This study focussed on the body motion of choral singers who perform in duo along with a pre-recorded tune presented over a loudspeaker. Specifically, we examined the effects of the perception of voice-matching, operationalized in terms of sound spectral envelope, and task complexity on choristers' body motion. Fifteen singers with advanced choral experience first manipulated the spectral components of a pre-recorded short tune composed for the study, by choosing the settings they felt most and least together with. Then, they performed the tune in unison (i.e., singing the same melody simultaneously) and in canon (i.e., singing the same melody but at a temporal delay) with the chosen filter settings. Motion data of the choristers' upper body and audio of the repeated performances were collected and analyzed. Results show that the settings perceived as least together relate to extreme differences between the spectral components of the sound. The singers' wrists and torso motion was more periodic, their upper body posture was more open, and their bodies were more distant from the music stand when singing in unison than in canon. These findings suggest that unison singing promotes an expressive-periodic motion of the upper body.

IntroductionCochlear implants (CIs), which are designed to support spoken communication of persons with severe to profound hearing loss, can provide improved hearing capability through passive exposure. However, auditory training may optimize perception of spectrally complex sounds such as music or speech. Reviews of music-based training for pediatric CI users have reported modest though variable benefits, as well as problems with attrition. It is presumed that more substantial changes may result from longer, more intensive training; however, the development of protocols sufficiently motivating for sustained intensity is challenging. This article examined the experiences of star pediatric CI users, whose years of music training have yielded exceptional auditory benefits. Greater understanding of their experiences and attitudes may suggest best practices for music-based training. Research aims included: (a) characterizing the musical behaviors and perceptual learning processes of music-centric (Music-centric, for purposes of this paper, refers to CI users who engage in sustained and successful music making such as music lessons and ensembles and focused music listening over a period of years, and who derive deep satisfaction from those experiences.) pediatric CI users, and (b) identifying psychosocial and auditory factors that motivated persistence in auditory training.MethodsWe used qualitative and patient-engaged research methodologies, gathering data through questionnaires with open-ended questions. The participants, six music-centric CI users and five parents, described their experiences and attitudes regarding music training, and factors that supported or undermined those experiences. Data were analyzed using reflexive thematic analysis.ResultsThe codes were consolidated into five themes and organized into a Model of Music-Based Learning for Pediatric Cochlear Implant Recipients. Sustained participation in music training was perceived as a dynamic process including varied musical stimuli, and moderated by intrinsic (attitude, perceived behavioral control) and extrinsic (parents, teachers, peers) influences, hearing status, sound access and background factors.DiscussionThese themes highlighted motivational factors that pediatric CI users and parents considered important to sustained, intensive and successful music learning throughout childhood and adolescence. These factors should be considered in the development of music-based training for pediatric CI recipients.

This study investigates infants' enculturation to music in a bicultural musical environment. We tested 49 12‐ to 30‐month‐old Korean infants on their preference for Korean or Western traditional songs played by haegeum and cello. Korean infants have access to both Korean and Western music in their environment as captured on a survey of infants' daily exposure to music at home. Our results show that infants with less daily exposure to any kind of music at home listened longer to all music types. The infants' overall listening time did not differ between Korean and Western music and instruments. Rather, those with high exposure to Western music listened longer to Korean music played with haegeum. Moreover, older toddlers (aged 24–30 months) maintained a longer interest in songs of an origin with which they are less familiar, indicating an emerging orientation towards novelty. Early orientation of Korean infants toward the novel experience of music listening is likely driven by perceptual curiosity, which drives exploratory behavior that diminishes with continued exposure. On the other hand, older infants' orientation towards novel stimuli is led by epistemic curiosity, which motivates an infant to acquire new knowledge. Korean infants' lack of differential listening likely reflects their protracted period of enculturation to ambient music due to complex input. Further, older infants' novelty‐orientation is consistent with findings in bilingual infants' orientation towards novel information. Additional analysis showed a long‐term effect of music exposure on infants' vocabulary development. A video abstract of this article can be viewed at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kllt0KA1tJk Research Highlights: Korean infants showed novelty‐oriented attention to music such that infants with less daily exposure to music at home showed longer listening times to music.12‐ to 30‐month‐old Korean infants did not show differential listening to Korean versus Western music or instruments, suggesting a protracted period of perceptual openness.24‐ to 30‐month‐old Korean toddlers' listening behavior indicated emerging novelty‐preference, exhibiting delayed enculturation to ambient music compared to Western infants reported in earlier research.18‐month‐old Korean infants with a greater weekly exposure to music had higher CDI scores a year later, consistent with the well‐known music‐to‐language transfer effect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Functional harmony is an integral part of many repertoires in the Western musical practices, including both diatonic and extended tonality. In the latter context, music-theoretical accounts suggest that the three octatonic equivalence classes (OECs) consisting of pitch-classes related by stacked minor-third intervals may be associated with tonic (T), dominant (D), and subdominant (S) functions. Whether this theoretical description of music is also relevant to the perception of music has not yet been tested empirically. In this study, 100 participants familiar with Western repertoires were presented with jazz chord progressions containing chord substitutions. When each stimulus had been played, participants predicted how many more chords they would have expected to hear before the progression could reach a plausible conclusion. We computed the similarity of responses for pairs of stimuli containing different harmonic substitutions and modeled such similarity values based on different measures of harmonic relatedness between substitutions. Data show that the OEC membership of substitutions strongly predicts the similarity of participants' completion ratings. Bayesian mixed-effects modeling of similarity values further showed a categorical distinction between D and S as functional categories, on one hand, and T, on the other hand. The data also appear to reflect the prevalent influence of rock and pop repertoires on the participants, encouraging further research into the influence of stylistic diversity and musical expertise. Overall, results contribute to the characterization of listeners' implicit knowledge of the principles of harmonic structure in extended tonality and support the relevance of OECs not only as descriptors of extended-tonal compositional practices but also parsimonious predictors of perceived functionality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Concerns have been raised that prolonged exposure to heavy metal music with aggressive themes can increase the risk of aggression, anger, antisocial behaviour, substance use, suicidal ideation, anxiety and depression in community and psychiatric populations. Although research often relies on correlational evidence for which causal inferences are not possible, it is often claimed that music with aggressive themes can cause psychological and behavioural problems. This narrative review of theory and evidence suggests the issues are more complicated, and that fans typically derive a range of emotional and social benefits from listening to heavy metal music, including improved mood, identity formation, and peer affiliation. In contrast, non-fans of heavy metal music — who are often used as participants in experimental research on this topic — invariably report negative psychological experiences. Our review considers a comprehensive set of empirical findings that inform clinical strategies designed to identify fans for whom heavy metal music may confer psychological and behavioural risks, and those for whom this music may confer psychosocial benefits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The question whether nonconscious processing could involve higher-level, semantic representations is of broad interest. Here, we demonstrate semantic processing of task-relevant and task-irrelevant features of nonconscious primes within a novel, empirical test bed. In two experiments, musicians were visually primed with musical note triads varying in mode (i.e., major vs minor) and position (i.e., the arrangement of notes within a triad). The task required to discriminate only the mode in the following auditory target chord. In two experimental blocks, primes were either consciously visible or masked, respectively. Response times for auditory discrimination of the modes (relevant dimension) of heard triads were measured. Crucially, the targets also varied with respect to mode and position, creating different grades of congruency with the visual primes. Based on the Theory of Event Coding, we expected and found interactions between relevant and irrelevant semantic characteristics of masked primes, illustrating that even irrelevant prime meaning was processed. Moreover, our results indicated that both task-relevant and task-irrelevant prime characteristics are processed in nonconscious conditions only, and that practice in ignoring uninformative conscious primes can be transferred to a subsequent block. In conclusion, this study demonstrates cross-modal, automatic semantic processing using a novel approach to study such effects.

The aim of this research is to identify the relationship between perception of Kyrgyz music and motivation for healthy lifestyle, and to understand the mechanisms of music impact on people's behavior within the context of healthy lifestyle. The research methods included literature review, questionnaire development and statistical analysis of data. A total of 248 participants, dominantly young people and women, took part in the online survey. Results showed that musical lyrics covering themes of health, physical activity, and positive thinking can inspire listeners to lead healthy lifestyles. Key images of space, emotions and natural phenomena in Kyrgyz song lyrics reflect the diverse understanding of health and well-being in the culture of Kyrgyz people. Both great composers of the past and modern musicians motivate Kyrgyz people to take care of their health with their patriotic and lyrical songs. The novelty of the research is in the study of a relatively new area of the influence of music on people's behavior within the scope of a healthy lifestyle.

A listening test was performed to determine whether there were any perceived differences in the playing styles of musicians as a function of the room in which the music was performed. This listening test was part of a larger study aimed at investigating the impact of room acoustics on historically informed performance (HIP) of baroque music which included an objective analysis framework designed to capture dimensions of performance important to a historical baroque playing style. The test included both flute and viol examples and included the participation of 20 musically trained listeners with a background in HIP. The results of the test showed some significant differences in certain performance parameters for both instruments. In particular, the flute examples demonstrated differences that aligned with reports from the flutists about the strategies they used to adapt to the different acoustics, and there was agreement between listener ratings and previously extracted objective parameters. These findings suggest that room acoustics play a role in shaping musical performance, and that the resulting changes can be perceived by listeners.

Introduction: Music is an intriguing but relatively under-researched intervention with many potential benefits for mechanically ventilated patients. The review aimed to assess the impact of listening to music as a non-pharmacological intervention on the physiological, psychological, and social responses of patients in an intensive care unit. Methods: The literature review was conducted in the fourth quarter of 2022. The overview included papers found in Science Direct, EBSCO, PubMed, Ovid, Scopus, and original research papers published in English meeting the PICOS criteria. Articles published between 2010 and 2022 meeting the inclusion criteria were included for further analysis. Results: Music significantly affects vital parameters: decreases the heart rate, blood pressure, and breathing; reduces pain intensity. The analyses confirmed that music affects anxiety levels, reduces sleep disturbances and delirium occurrence, and improves cognitive function. The effectiveness of the intervention is influenced by the choice of music. Conclusions: There is evidence of the beneficial effects of music on a patient's physiological, psychological, and social responses. Music therapy is highly effective in reducing anxiety and pain and stabilizes physiological parameters, i.e., the heart rate and respiratory rate, after music sessions in mechanically ventilated patients. Studies show that music reduces agitation in confused patients, improves mood, and facilitates communication. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Several studies have established that Cochlear implant (CI) listeners rely on the tempo of music to judge the emotional content of music. However, a re-analysis of a study in which CI listeners judged the emotion conveyed by piano pieces on a scale from happy to sad revealed a weak correlation between tempo and emotion. The present study explored which temporal cues in music influence emotion judgments among normal hearing (NH) listeners, which might provide insights into the cues utilized by CI listeners. Experiment 1 was a replication of the Vannson et al. study with NH listeners using rhythmic patterns of piano created with congas. The temporal cues were preserved while the tonal ones were removed. The results showed (i) tempo was weakly correlated with emotion judgments, (ii) NH listeners' judgments for congas were similar to CI listeners' judgments for piano. In Experiment 2, two tasks were administered with congas played at three different tempi: emotion judgment and a tapping task to record listeners' perceived tempo. Perceived tempo was a better predictor than the tempo, but its physical correlate, mean onset-to-onset difference (MOOD), a measure of the average time between notes, yielded higher correlations with NH listeners' emotion judgments. This result suggests that instead of the tempo, listeners rely on the average time between consecutive notes to judge the emotional content of music. CI listeners could utilize this cue to judge the emotional content of music. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Objectives: Recently, the improvement of music perception abilities for emo-tional stability and high quality of life has become important for the hearing loss group. This study aimed to examine and compare the music perception abilities of the normal hearing (NH) and hearing amplification system (HAS) groups to find the needs and methods of music reha-bilitation. Subjects and Methods: The data were collected from 15 NH adults (33.1±11.4 years) and 15 HAS adults (38.7±13.4 years), of whom eight wore cochlear implant [CI] systems and seven wore CI and hearing aid systems depending on pitch, melody, rhythm, timbre, emotional reaction, and harmony perception tests. A mismatch negativity test was also conducted, and attitudes toward and satisfaction with listening to music were measured. Results: The correc-tion percentages for the NH and HAS groups were 94.0%±6.1% and 75.3%±23.2% in the pitch test; 94.0%±7.1% and 30.3%±25.9% in the melody test; 99.3%±1.8% and 94.0%± 7.6% in the rhythm test; 78.9%±41.8% and 64.4%±48.9% in the timbre test; 96.7%±10.4% and 81.7%±16.3% in the emotional reaction test; and 85.7%±14.1% and 58.4%±13.9% in the harmony test, respectively, showing statistical significance (p<0.05). For the mismatch negativity test, the area of the waveform was smaller in the HAS groups than in the NH groups, with 70 dB of stimulation showing no statistical significance. The response rates for satisfac-tion with listening to music were 80% and 93.3% for the NH and HAS groups, showing no statistical significance. Conclusions: Although the HAS group showed lower music percep-tion ability than the NH group overall, they showed a strong desire for music listening. Also, the HAS group revealed a higher degree of satisfaction even when listening to unfamiliar music played with unusual instruments. It is suggested that systematic and constant musical rehabil-itation based on musical elements and different listening experiences will improve music per-ception qualities and abilities for HAS users. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Current music emotion recognition (MER) systems rely on emotion data averaged across listeners and over time to infer the emotion expressed by a musical piece, often neglecting time- and listener-dependent factors. These limitations can restrict the efficacy of MER systems and cause misjudgements. We present two exploratory studies on music emotion perception. First, in a live music concert setting, fifteen audience members annotated perceived emotion in the valence-arousal space over time using a mobile application. Analyses of inter-rater reliability yielded widely varying levels of agreement in the perceived emotions. A follow-up lab-based study to uncover the reasons for such variability was conducted, where twenty-one participants annotated their perceived emotions whilst viewing and listening to a video recording of the original performance and offered open-ended explanations. Thematic analysis revealed salient features and interpretations that help describe the cognitive processes underlying music emotion perception. Some of the results confirm known findings of music perception and MER studies. Novel findings highlight the importance of less frequently discussed musical attributes, such as musical structure, performer expression, and stage setting, as perceived across audio and visual modalities. Musicians are found to attribute emotion change to musical harmony, structure, and performance technique more than non-musicians. We suggest that accounting for such listener-informed music features can benefit MER in helping to address variability in emotion perception by providing reasons for listener similarities and idiosyncrasies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rhythmic auditory stimuli are known to elicit matching activity patterns in neural populations. Furthermore, recent research has established the particular importance of high-gamma brain activity in auditory processing by showing its involvement in auditory phrase segmentation and envelope tracking. Here, we use electrocorticographic (ECoG) recordings from eight human listeners to see whether periodicities in high-gamma activity track the periodicities in the envelope of musical rhythms during rhythm perception and imagination. Rhythm imagination was elicited by instructing participants to imagine the rhythm to continue during pauses of several repetitions. To identify electrodes whose periodicities in high-gamma activity track the periodicities in the musical rhythms, we compute the correlation between the autocorrelations (ACCs) of both the musical rhythms and the neural signals. A condition in which participants listened to white noise was used to establish a baseline. High-gamma autocorrelations in auditory areas in the superior temporal gyrus and in frontal areas on both hemispheres significantly matched the autocorrelations of the musical rhythms. Overall, numerous significant electrodes are observed on the right hemisphere. Of particular interest is a large cluster of electrodes in the right prefrontal cortex that is active during both rhythm perception and imagination. This indicates conscious processing of the rhythms' structure as opposed to mere auditory phenomena. The autocorrelation approach clearly highlights that high-gamma activity measured from cortical electrodes tracks both attended and imagined rhythms.

The Musical Emotion Discrimination Task (MEDT) is a short, non-adaptive test of the ability to discriminate emotions in music. Test-takers hear two performances of the same melody, both played by the same performer but each trying to communicate a different basic emotion, and are asked to determine which one is "happier", for example. The goal of the current study was to construct a new version of the MEDT using a larger set of shorter, more diverse music clips and an adaptive framework to expand the ability range for which the test can deliver measurements. The first study analysed responses from a large sample of participants (N = 624) to determine how musical features contributed to item difficulty, which resulted in a quantitative model of musical emotion discrimination ability rooted in Item Response Theory (IRT). This model informed the construction of the adaptive MEDT. A second study contributed preliminary evidence for the validity and reliability of the adaptive MEDT, and demonstrated that the new version of the test is suitable for a wider range of abilities. This paper therefore presents the first adaptive musical emotion discrimination test, a new resource for investigating emotion processing which is freely available for research use. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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