ERIC Number: EJ689528
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2004-Sep
Pages: 11
Abstractor: Author
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0278-7393
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Available Date: N/A
Implicit Learning of Musical Timbre Sequences: Statistical Regularities Confronted With Acoustical (Dis)Similarities
Tillmann, Barbara; McAdams, Stephen
Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, and Cognition, v30 n5 p1131-1142 Sep 2004
The present study investigated the influence of acoustical characteristics on the implicit learning of statistical regularities (transition probabilities) in sequences of musical timbres. The sequences were constructed in such a way that the acoustical dissimilarities between timbres potentially created segmentations that either supported (S1) or contradicted (S2) the statistical regularities or were neutral (S3). In the learning group, participants first listened to the continuous timbre sequence and then had to distinguish statistical units from new units. In comparison to a control group without the exposition phase, no interaction between sequence type and amount of learning was observed: Performance increased by the same amount for the three sequences. In addition, performance reflected an overall preference for acoustically similar timbre units. The present outcome extends previous data from the domain of implicit learning to complex nonverbal auditory material. It further suggests that listeners become sensitive to statistical regularities despite acoustical characteristics in the material that potentially affect grouping.
Descriptors: Probability, Control Groups, Language Acquisition, Learning Processes, Auditory Discrimination, Music
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
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