Long-term musical training may improve different forms of visual attention ability

Rodrigues, Ana Carolina; Loureiro, Maurício; Caramelli, Paulo

doi:10.1016/j.bandc.2013.04.009

Cited by 96 publications

(79 citation statements)

References 51 publications

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“…Because the significant differences between groups only involved reaction times, which disappeared when performance in the simple reaction time test was held constant, it is possible to conceive that the better performance of musicians in the visual memory test reflects a better sensorimotor integration, as mentioned above. However, given the evidence of associations between simple reaction time and cognitive function (Jakobsen et al, 2011; Cumming et al, 2012), the performance of musicians in the visual memory test could also be related to greater efficiency of attentional processes, as has been suggested in previous studies (e.g., Rodrigues et al, 2013). It is possible to argue that music reading practice may contribute to enhanced visual attention ability in general.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 66%

“…Jakobson et al (2008) found a superior visual memory in musicians relative to non-musicians and hypothesized that this result could be due to improvements in supporting processes of visual attention, to the increased ability to hold and manipulate visual images in working memory, or even to the superior use of high-level strategic memory processes by musicians. In a previous study (Rodrigues et al, 2013), we evaluated three forms of visual attention ability – selective, divided, and sustained attention – in orchestra musicians and non-musicians by utilizing different neuropsychological tests, which measured accuracy and reaction times. Musicians showed better performance, when compared to non-musicians, on some variables of the three visual attention tests, suggesting that long-term musical training may be associated with enhancement in different forms of visual attention ability.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Visual memory in musicians and non-musicians

Rodrigues

Loureiro

Caramelli

2014

Front. Hum. Neurosci.

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Many investigations have reported structural, functional, and cognitive changes in the brains of musicians, which occur as a result of many years of musical practice. We aimed to investigate if intensive, long-term musical practice is associated with improved visual memory ability. Musicians and non-musicians, who were comparable in age, gender, and education, were submitted to a visual memory test. The test consisted of the presentation of four sets of stimuli, each one containing eight figures to be memorized. Each set was followed by individual figures and the subject was required to indicate if each figure was or was not present in the memorized set, by pressing the corresponding keys. We divided the test in two parts, in which the stimuli had greater or reduced semantic coding. Overall, musicians showed better performance on reaction times, but not on accuracy. An additional analysis revealed no significant interaction between group and any part of the test in the prediction of the outcomes. When simple reaction time was included as covariate, no significant difference between groups was found on reaction times. In the group of musicians, we found some significant correlations between variables related to musical practice and performance in the visual memory test. In summary, our data provide no evidence of enhanced visual memory ability in musicians, since there was no difference in accuracy between groups. Our results suggest that performance of musicians in the visual memory test may be associated with better sensorimotor integration, since although they have presented shorter reaction times, such effect disappeared when taken in consideration the simple reaction time test. However, given existing evidence of associations between simple reaction time and cognitive function, their performance in the visual memory test could also be related to enhanced visual attention ability, as has been suggested by previous studies, but this hypothesis deserves more investigation.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 66%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Visual memory in musicians and non-musicians

Rodrigues

Loureiro

Caramelli

2014

Front. Hum. Neurosci.

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“…Evidence suggests that musicians outperform non-musicians on auditory but not visual sustained attention measures (Strait et al, 2010); however, one recent study also showed a musician advantage on visual sustained attention metrics (Rodrigues et al, 2013). These results conform to research with other highly skilled populations such as chess players, birders, and memory experts, showing that experts differ from non-experts in both their GENERALITY AND SPECIFICITY IN MUSICAL EXPERTISE EFFECTS 10 attention to key stimulus features, and their ability to sustain such attention over extended periods (see Palmeri et al, 2004;Green & Bavelier, 2012).…”

Section: Auditory Attention and Influence On Perceptionmentioning

confidence: 98%

Generality and specificity in the effects of musical expertise on perception and cognition

Carey

Rosen²,

Krishnan

et al. 2015

Cognition

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Performing musicians invest thousands of hours becoming experts in a range of perceptual, attentional, and cognitive skills. The duration and intensity of musicians' training -far greater than that of most educational or rehabilitation programs -provides a useful model to test the extent to which skills acquired in one particular context (music) generalize to different domains. Here, we asked whether the instrument-specific and more instrument-general skills acquired during professional violinists' and pianists' training would generalize to superior performance on a wide range of analogous (largely non-musical) skills, when compared to closely matched non-musicians.Violinists and pianists outperformed non-musicians on fine-grained auditory psychophysical measures, but surprisingly did not differ from each other, despite the different demands of their instruments. Musician groups did differ on a tuning system perception task: violinists showed clearest biases towards the tuning system specific to their instrument, suggesting that long-term experience leads to selective perceptual benefits given a training-relevant context. However, we found only weak evidence of group differences in non-musical skills, with musicians differing marginally in one measure of sustained auditory attention, but not significantly on auditory scene analysis or multi-modal sequencing measures. Further, regression analyses showed that this sustained auditory attention metric predicted more variance in one auditory psychophysical measure than did musical expertise. Our findings suggest that specific musical expertise may yield distinct perceptual outcomes within contexts close to the area of training. Generalization of expertise to relevant cognitive domains may be less clear, particularly where the task context is non-musical.Keywords: expertise; musicians; perception; cognition; generalization GENERALITY AND SPECIFICITY IN MUSICAL EXPERTISE EFFECTS 3 Highlights 1. We studied generalization of expertise to auditory perceptual and broader cognitive skills.2. Musician groups perceived auditory signal differences more finely than non-musicians.3. Musician groups differed in fine perception given a training-relevant context. 4. Musical expertise did not strongly generalize to several cognitive measures (e.g., auditory scene analysis).5. 5. Sustained attention predicted variance in fine perception of AM depth above expertise. GENERALITY AND SPECIFICITY IN MUSICAL EXPERTISE EFFECTS 4 Generality and Specificity in the Effects of Musical Expertise on Perception and CognitionPerceptual and cognitive skills can be shaped and enhanced through our experience with the world (e.g., Goldstone, 1999;Palmeri & Gauthier, 2004). Pursuit of expertise in a given domain is a particularly striking example: groups as diverse as chess masters, physicians, athletes and musicians spend thousands of hours training and practicing, honing perceptual, cognitive and motor skills critical to success in their field (see Ericsson, 2006;Palmeri et al., 2004; Chi, 200...

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“…In a study that investigated the effects of averagely 13.9±6.0 years of professional music practice, improvement of attention of those musicians was linked to long term music practice. 12 In another study it was stated that cognitive demand increase related to playing instruments with both hands could improve plasticity and visual attention. 13 This result made us think that long term music training improved data processing but not for attention.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%