Journal article
Faster decline of pitch memory over time in congenital amusia
Advances in cognitive psychology, Vol.6(6), pp.15-22
04/26/2010
DOI: 10.2478/v10053-008-0073-5
PMCID: PMC2916665
PMID: 20689638
Abstract
congenital amusia (amusia, hereafter) is a developmental disorder that impacts negatively on the perception of music. Psychophysical testing suggests that individuals with amusia have above average thresholds for detection of pitch change and pitch direction discrimination; however, a low-level auditory perceptual problem cannot completely explain the disorder, since discrimination of melodies is also impaired when the constituent intervals are suprathreshold for perception. The aim of the present study was to test pitch memory as a function of (a) time and (b) tonal interference, in order to determine whether pitch traces are inherently weaker in amusic individuals. Memory for the pitch of single tones was compared using two versions of a paradigm developed by Deutsch (1970a). In both tasks, participants compared the pitch of a standard (S) versus a comparison (C) tone. In the time task, the S and C tones were presented, separated in time by 0, 1, 5, 10, and 15 s (blocked presentation). In the interference task, the S and C tones were presented with a fixed time interval (5 s) but with a variable number of irrelevant tones in between: 0, 2, 4, 6, and 8 tones (blocked presentation). In the time task, control performance remained high for all time intervals, but amusics showed a performance decrement over time. In the interference task, controls and amusics showed a similar performance decrement with increasing number of irrelevant tones. Overall, the results suggest that the pitch representations of amusic individuals are less stable and more prone to decay than those of matched non-amusic individuals.
Details
- Title: Subtitle
- Faster decline of pitch memory over time in congenital amusia
- Creators
- Victoria J. Williamson - Goldsmiths University of LondonClaire McDonald - Goldsmiths University of LondonDiana Deutsch - University of California, San DiegoTimothy D. Griffiths - Newcastle UniversityLauren Stewart - Goldsmiths University of London
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Publication Details
- Advances in cognitive psychology, Vol.6(6), pp.15-22
- Publisher
- UNIV FINANCE & MANAGEMENT WARSAW
- DOI
- 10.2478/v10053-008-0073-5
- PMID
- 20689638
- PMCID
- PMC2916665
- ISSN
- 1895-1171
- eISSN
- 1895-1171
- Number of pages
- 8
- Grant note
- RES/061/25/0155 / ESRC First Grant; UK Research & Innovation (UKRI); Economic & Social Research Council (ESRC) ES/F001940/1 / ESRC; UK Research & Innovation (UKRI); Economic & Social Research Council (ESRC) ES/G006830/1 / ESRC postdoctoral fellowship; UK Research & Innovation (UKRI); Economic & Social Research Council (ESRC)
- Language
- English
- Date published
- 04/26/2010
- Academic Unit
- Psychological and Brain Sciences
- Record Identifier
- 9984627301802771
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