Music-space associations are grounded, embodied and situated: examination of cello experts and non-musicians in a standard tone discrimination task

Lachmair, Martin; Creß, Ulrike; Fissler, Tim; Kurek, Simone; Leininger, Jan; Nuerk, Hans‐Christoph

doi:10.1007/s00426-017-0898-y

Cited by 12 publications

(14 citation statements)

References 45 publications

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“…For example, how are different pitch mappings mentally represented in a musician who plays a piano, violin, and clarinet, each of which has a different pitch-space orientation (cf. Lachmair et al, 2017)? Further investigation is needed to examine what other aspects of one's musical or nonmusical experience contribute to the formation of pitch-space relations that might affect motor execution.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A cost of musical training? Sensorimotor flexibility in musical sequence learning

Pfordresher

Chow

2018

Psychon Bull Rev

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We report an experiment that tested the flexibility of sensorimotor learning in sequence production. Nonpianists and pianists learned simple melodies by ear under one of two auditory feedback conditions: one with normal pitch mapping (higher pitches to the right) and one with an inverted (reversed) mapping. After learning, both groups played melodies from memory while experiencing each feedback condition. Both groups exhibited sensorimotor learning and produced fewer errors at test while hearing the feedback used during training as opposed to the alternate feedback condition. However, learning was unstable for pianists who learned melodies with an inverted feedback condition, who produced more errors at test than pianists who learned melodies with normal-pitch mapping. Acquiring musical skill may therefore constrain subsequent sensorimotor flexibility.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A cost of musical training? Sensorimotor flexibility in musical sequence learning

Pfordresher

Chow

2018

Psychon Bull Rev

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“…This could have led to conflicting reference frames, one grounded reference frame according to spatial attributes and one embodied reference frame according to grammatical number (cf. Wood et al, 2006 ; Lachmair et al, 2017 ). Accordingly, the spatial semantic priming vanished.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Further, this suggests that experiential sources also allow categorizing associations of experiential representations according to their robustness, strength, and flexibility. Support for this view comes from a recent study comparing the behavior on musical pitch between well-trained cello player and non-musicians (Lachmair et al, 2017 ). On a cello, high tones are produced by grasping the strings downwards to the tailpiece and low tones by grasping the strings upwards to the scroll.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Does Grammatical Number Influence the Semantic Priming Between Number Cues and Words Related to Vertical Space? An Investigation Using Virtual Reality

2018

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The GES framework postulates a hierarchical order between grounded, embodied, and situated representations. Against this background, the present study investigated the relation of two effects: (i) a semantic priming between number cues and words with referents up or down in the world according to the number's magnitude which is supposed to be grounded (cf. Lachmair et al., 2014) and (ii) the compatibility between number cues and the grammatical word form of the words according to the number's multitude which is supposed to be embodied (cf. Roettger and Domahs, 2015). In two experiments words referring to objects up or down in the world and spatially neutral words were presented subsequent to the numbers “1” and “9.” In Experiment 1 words were presented in singular word form and in Experiment 2 in plural word form. For the first time, Virtual Reality was used in such an experimental setup in order to reduce spatial predispositions of participants and to provide a homogeneous experimental environment for replication purposes. According to GES it was expected that the spatial semantic priming should occur in both grammatical word forms. However, the compatibility with grammatical number should only occur for the plural word form due to its markedness. The results of Experiment 1 support the spatial-semantic-priming-hypothesis but not the grammatical-number-hypothesis. The results of Experiment 2 supported only the grammatical-number-hypothesis. It is argued that the grounded spatial effect of Experiment 1 was not affected by grammatical number. However, in Experiment 2 this effect vanished due to an activated embodied reference frame according to grammatical number.

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“…This reflects a general grounding experience of more of something (in this case water) being associated spatially and accordingly numerically higher magnitudes regardless of culture or place on earth (cf. Lachmair et al, 2017 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This raised the question at which level grammatical number and physical space interact. According to the hierarchical structure proposed by Fischer and Brugger (2011 , see also Myachykov et al, 2014 ; Lachmair et al, 2017 ), the horizontal spatial representation of grammatical number may be considered embodied because it relies on an overlearned cultural convention and not on an omnipresent physical law that may shape human cognition.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Magnitude or Multitude – What Counts?

et al. 2018

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Recent studies revealed an association of low or high numbers (e.g., 1 vs. 9) and word semantics referring to entities typically found in upper or lower space (e.g., roof vs. root) indicating overlapping spatial representations. Another line of research revealed a similar association of grammatical number as a syntactic aspect of language and physical space: singular words were associated with left and plural words with right - resembling spatial-numerical associations of low numbers with left and high numbers with right.The present study aimed at integrating these lines of research by evaluating both types of spatial relations in one experiment. In a lexical decision task, pairs of a numerical cue and a subsequent plural noun were presented. For word with spatial associations (e.g., roofs vs. roots) number magnitude was expected to serve as a spatial cue. For spatially neutral words (e.g., tables) numbers were expected to cue multitude. Results showed the expected congruency-effect between the numbers and words with spatial associations (i.e., small numbers facilitate responses to down-words and high numbers to up-words). However, no effect was found for numbers and spatially neutral words. This seems to indicate that spatial aspects of word meaning may be related more closely to the magnitude of numbers than grammatical number is to the multitude reflected by numbers – at least in the current experimental setting, where only plural words were presented.

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Music-space associations are grounded, embodied and situated: examination of cello experts and non-musicians in a standard tone discrimination task

Cited by 12 publications

References 45 publications

A cost of musical training? Sensorimotor flexibility in musical sequence learning

A cost of musical training? Sensorimotor flexibility in musical sequence learning

Does Grammatical Number Influence the Semantic Priming Between Number Cues and Words Related to Vertical Space? An Investigation Using Virtual Reality

Magnitude or Multitude – What Counts?

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