Identification of speeded and slowed familiar melodies by younger, middle-aged, and older musicians and nonmusicians

Article Abstract:

It is well-known that some cognitive processes slow with age but there has been little research into how slowly people can carry out tasks that are required to be undertaken slowly, such as certain pieces of music. A new study investigates the identification of speeded and slowed familiar tunes by younger, middle-aged and older listeners. The study, of nonmusicians and musicians, shows that recognition of slow-to-fast performances is unaffected by age while recognition of fast-to-slow performances declines in the 62-year age range. The increased experience of the musicians results in better performance in both speeded and slowed melodies.

Aged, Elderly, Research, Demographic aspects, Cognition

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Aging and experience in the recognition of musical transpositions

Article Abstract:

Analyses of the influence of age, musical knowledge, and characteristics of musical impulse on a melodic short-term memory task of identifying musical transpositions in young adults and older listeners revealed that age and experience affected recognition abilities strongly with experience assuming priority as interference was introduced in the task. Both age and experience failed to affect the dominance of tonal over atonal materials. The significance of the findings for various theories of aging and music cognition are discussed.

Physiological aspects

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Effects of aging and musical experience on the representation of tonal hierarchies

Article Abstract:

Older people can differentiate tonal hierarchies according to musical principles with the same efficacy as younger people. However, they show greater inclination to classify the notes by pitch height when proximity is made more salient. Musicians have a better sense of tonal hierarchy than nonmusicians. Notes with ambiguous pitch height effects reduce accuracy in tonal differentiation among older adults.

Analysis, Ability, Influence of age on, Music appreciation, Musical ability, Tonality

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