CMS seminar: Bidirectional interactions between acoustic properties of sound and musical context in auditory perception

Music is created from individual acoustic events. The information about sound accumulates over time, forming meaningful units, such as musical phrases. This process enables simple sensory experiences to become organised and understood. At the same time, the brain generates predictions regarding incoming sensory input, so that acoustic perception is shaped not only by the signals themselves, but also by expectations created by the context. In the series of studies, we explored this bidirectional interplay between acoustic perception and musical understanding. First, we examined how musical context modulates the neural and behavioural perception of acoustic sound changes. Second, we propose a question as to how local acoustic properties contribute to the perception of musical completion and segmentation. The present study draws on Gestalt principles and predictive coding as theoretical frameworks to demonstrate that musical perception is not purely sensory or purely contextual, but rather interactive between the two. The subsequent analysis examines how inter-individual differences in pitch and rhythm perception shape these interactions. Zofia Hołubowska is a PhD student with Prof. Marc Schönwiesner in Leipzig, Germany. Using EEG and behavioural measures she studies how context changes sound perception. Currently visiting BRAMS (International Laboratory for Brain, Music and Sound Research) in Montréal, she is working with Prof. Isabelle Peretz on melody perception in the amusic population. Previously, she researched the neural markers of musical structure tracking at the Max Planck Institute for Empirical Aesthetics under Dr. Pauline Larrouy-Maestri. Outside the lab, Zofia is a singer and accordionist in a Polish traditional band and a member of the Leipzig University Choir. Also available on Zoom: https://zoom.us/j/99433440421?pwd=ZWxCQXFZclRtbjNXa0s2K1Q2REVPZz09