We sought to determine whether an objective test of musical ability could be successfully administered online. A sample of 754 participants was tested with an online version of the Musical Ear Test (MET), which had Melody and Rhythm subtests. Both subtests had 52 trials, each of which required participants to determine whether standard and comparison auditory sequences were identical. The testing session also included the Goldsmiths Musical Sophistication Index (Gold-MSI), a test of general cognitive ability, and self-report questionnaires that measured basic demographics (age, education, gender), mind-wandering, and personality. Approximately 20% of the participants were excluded for incomplete responding or failing to finish the testing session. For the final sample ( N = 608), findings were similar to those from in-person testing in many respects: (1) the internal reliability of the MET was maintained, (2) construct validity was confirmed by strong associations with Gold-MSI scores, (3) correlations with other measures (e.g., openness to experience, cognitive ability, mind-wandering) were as predicted, (4) mean levels of performance were similar for individuals with no music training, and (5) musical sophistication was a better predictor of performance on the Melody than on the Rhythm subtest. In sum, online administration of the MET proved to be a reliable and valid way to measure musical ability. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.3758/s13428-021-01641-2.

Objectives Cognitive Stimulation Therapy (CST) is one of the most popular evidence-based interventions for people with dementia. The aim of the present study was to assess the effectiveness in the short- and long-term (on completing the treatment and 3 months later) of an Italian adaptation of the CST protocol (CST-IT). Method Older adults with mild-to-moderate dementia at 16 residential care homes were randomly assigned to a CST-IT group (N = 123) or an active control group (N = 102). The following domains were examined for potential benefits: general cognitive functioning (Mini-Mental State Examination [MMSE] and the Alzheimer’s Disease Assessment Scale—Cognitive subscale [ADAS-Cog]), language (Narrative Language Test), mood and behavior (Cornell scale and Neuropsychiatric Inventory), everyday life functioning (Disability Assessment for Dementia), and quality of life (Quality of Life—Alzheimer’s Disease scale). Results At both the short- and long-term assessments, the CST-IT group’s MMSE scores remained stable, while the control group’s scores decreased slightly from pretest to posttest and at follow-up. The CST-IT group also had short-term benefits in other cognitive measures (ADAS-Cog and Narrative Language Test) and mood and behavior measures, which were generally maintained at follow-up. No other differences were observed. Discussion The effectiveness of CST in sustaining cognitive and emotional functioning, and counteracting the progression of behavioral/neuropsychiatric symptoms in people with dementia was confirmed, and a long-term benefit was demonstrated. CST is a promising option for the treatment of people with dementia in clinical practice.

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Evidence in the literature suggests that listening to music can improve cognitive performance. The aim of the present study was to examine whether the short- and long-term gains of a working memory (WM) training in older adults could be enhanced by music listening-the Mozart's Sonata K448 and the Albinoni's Adagio in G minor-which differ in tempo and mode. Seventy-two healthy older adults (age range: 65-75 years) participated in the study. They were divided into four groups. At each training session, before starting the WM training activities, one group listened to Mozart (Mozart group, N = 19), one to Albinoni (Albinoni group, N = 19), one to white noise (White noise group, N = 16), while one served as an active control group involved in other activities and was not exposed to any music (active control group, N = 18). Specific training gains on a task like the one used in the training, and transfer effects on visuo-spatial abilities, executive function and reasoning measures were assessed. Irrespective of listening condition (Mozart, Albinoni, White noise), trained groups generally outperformed the control group. The White noise group never differed from the two music groups. However, the Albinoni group showed larger specific training gains in the criterion task at short-term and transfer effects in the reasoning task at both short-and long term compared to the Mozart group. Overall the present findings suggest caution when interpreting the effects of music before a WM training, and are discussed according to aging and music effect literature.