Examining the Impact of Musical Interest on Auditory Processing and Cognitive Skills in Young Adults

Abstract

Music has a complex structure consisting of auditory elements such as sound, rhythm and melody. The ability to perceive, understand and evaluate music is among the auditory skills. This study aims to investigate the effects of musical interest on temporal pattern recognition, auditory processing, and cognitive skills in young adults with normal hearing. Material and Methods:The study included sixty volunteer young adults with normal hearing between the ages of 18-30 ages. Young adults were divided into two groups, below (n=30) and above (n=30) average, according to their "Music Interest Scale" scores. "Frequency and Duration Pattern Tests" were applied to evaluate the participants' temporal pattern recognition skills. "STROOP Test" was used to evaluate selective attention, disruptive effect and memory skills among cognitive skills. The findings were analyzed statistically with the SPSS program, and the type 1 error level was determined as 0.05. Results: There were significant differences in STROOP subtests in terms of attention skills (p < 0.05). On the other hand, no statistically significant difference was obtained between the groups in terms of frequency and duration pattern recognition skills (p > 0.05). Conclusion: Young adults who were interested in music completed tests of selective attention, interference, and short-term memory in less time and performed better. The current study revealed that musical interest in young adults may provide positive effects on these cognitive skills.