Music training, music aptitude, and speech perception

Schellenberg, E. Glenn

doi:10.1073/pnas.1821109116

Cited by 16 publications

(20 citation statements)

References 10 publications

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“…While the aforementioned studies suggest that musical training can improve speech-in-noise perception, they are cross-sectional studies which should preclude causal inferences (Schellenberg, 2019); further, not all studies have found an effect (Ruggles et al, 2014; Boebinger et al, 2015; Madsen et al, 2017, 2019). One way to resolve these inconsistencies is through the evaluation of musical training outcomes in a controlled experimental design (i.e., a longitudinal context), which a handful of studies have sought to do.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Short-Term Choir Singing Supports Speech-in-Noise Perception and Neural Pitch Strength in Older Adults With Age-Related Hearing Loss

et al. 2019

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Prior studies have demonstrated musicianship enhancements of various aspects of auditory and cognitive processing in older adults, but musical training has rarely been examined as an intervention for mitigating age-related declines in these abilities. The current study investigates whether 10 weeks of choir participation can improve aspects of auditory processing in older adults, particularly speech-in-noise (SIN) perception. A choir-singing group and an age- and audiometrically-matched do-nothing control group underwent pre- and post-testing over a 10-week period. Linear mixed effects modeling in a regression analysis showed that choir participants demonstrated improvements in speech-in-noise perception, pitch discrimination ability, and the strength of the neural representation of speech fundamental frequency. Choir participants’ gains in SIN perception were mediated by improvements in pitch discrimination, which was in turn predicted by the strength of the neural representation of speech stimuli (FFR), suggesting improvements in pitch processing as a possible mechanism for this SIN perceptual improvement. These findings support the hypothesis that short-term choir participation is an effective intervention for mitigating age-related hearing losses.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Short-Term Choir Singing Supports Speech-in-Noise Perception and Neural Pitch Strength in Older Adults With Age-Related Hearing Loss

et al. 2019

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“…Considered cumulatively, an emerging theoretical framework suggests that associations between musicality and language skills could be driven by genetic correlations (Ladanyi et al, 2020;Schellenberg, 2019). First, family-based approaches (primarily twin studies) have shown moderate heritability of musicality across objective and subjective measures, including music perception, achievement, interest, and practice habits in adolescents and adults (Coon & Carey, 1989;Hambrick & Tucker-Drob, 2015;Mosing et al, 2014a;Ullén et al, 2014;Vinkhuyzen, van der Sluis, Posthuma, & Boomsma, 2009).…”

Section: Music Engagment and Verbal Abilitymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Second, there is only limited meta-analytic evidence that music lessons enhance language skills in children and young adults (Gordon, Fehd, & McCandliss, 2015a;Sala & Gobet, 2017). Indeed, a substantial body of work that initially interpreted superior performance on speech/language tasks as a transfer from musical training to language expertise (e.g., Patel, 2014) is now being revisited as evidence of self-selection for music training (Bidelman & Mankel, 2019;Schellenberg, 2019). These patterns of findings are highly consistent with genetic correlations, wherein individuals with genetic predispositions for stronger language or cognitive abilities are more likely to seek out musical training (i.e., self-selection or pleiotropy).…”

Section: Music Engagment and Verbal Abilitymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…It is not yet known whether a common genetic basis drives the phenotypic correlations in addition to an overlap of brain networks (Patel, 2014). Individual predispositions to learning music may also account for enhanced language abilities (Schellenberg, 2015(Schellenberg, , 2019, rooted in the proposition that musically-relevant aural sensitivity to the acoustic and syntactic structure of speech bootstraps early language acquisition (Brandt, Gebrian, & Slevc, 2012). In the present study, we evaluate the relationship between musical engagement and language ability in a genetically informative developmental sample.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 97%

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Musical Instrument Engagement in Adolescence Predicts Verbal Ability Four Years Later: A Twin and Adoption Study

De¹,

Friedman²,

Stallings³

et al. 2021

Preprint

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Individual differences in music traits are heritable and correlated with the development of cognitive and communication skills, but little is known about whether diverse modes of music engagement (e.g., playing instruments vs. singing) reflect similar underlying genetic/environmental influences. Moreover, the biological etiology underlying the relationship between musicality and childhood language development is poorly understood. Here we explored genetic and environmental associations between music engagement and verbal ability in the Colorado Adoption/Twin Study of Lifespan behavioral development and cognitive aging (CATSLife) project. N=1684 adolescents completed measures of music engagement and intelligence at approximately age 12 and/or multiple tests of verbal ability at age 16. Structural equation models revealed that instrument engagement was highly heritable (a2=.78), with moderate heritabilities for singing (a2=.43) and dance engagement (a2=.66). Adolescent self-perceived instrument engagement (but not singing or dance engagement) was genetically correlated with age 12 verbal intelligence, and still was associated with age 16 verbal ability even when controlling for age 12 full-scale intelligence, providing evidence for a longitudinal relationship between music engagement and language beyond shared general cognitive processes. Together, these novel findings suggest that shared genetic influences in part accounts for phenotypic associations between music engagement and language, but there may also be some (weak) direct benefits of music engagement on later language abilities.

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“…The improved cortical activities in musicians exhibit experience-driven neural changes (Shahin et al, 2003 ; Marques et al, 2007 ; Seppänen et al, 2012 ). However, some studies have suggested that the neuroplasticity evidence in musicians may be an innate property in people whose auditory function is superior to others rather than music experience-driven factors (Schellenberg, 2015 , 2019 ; Mankel and Bidelman, 2018 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Long-Term Musical Training Alters Auditory Cortical Activity to the Frequency Change

Lee

Han

Lee

2020

Front. Hum. Neurosci.

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Objective: The ability to detect frequency variation is a fundamental skill necessary for speech perception. It is known that musical expertise is associated with a range of auditory perceptual skills, including discriminating frequency change, which suggests the neural encoding of spectral features can be enhanced by musical training. In this study, we measured auditory cortical responses to frequency change in musicians to examine the relationships between N1/P2 responses and behavioral performance/musical training. Methods: Behavioral and electrophysiological data were obtained from professional musicians and age-matched non-musician participants. Behavioral data included frequency discrimination detection thresholds for no threshold-equalizing noise (TEN), +5, 0, and −5 signal-to-noise ratio settings. Auditory-evoked responses were measured using a 64-channel electroencephalogram (EEG) system in response to frequency changes in ongoing pure tones consisting of 250 and 4,000 Hz, and the magnitudes of frequency change were 10%, 25% or 50% from the base frequencies. N1 and P2 amplitudes and latencies as well as dipole source activation in the left and right hemispheres were measured for each condition. Results: Compared to the non-musician group, behavioral thresholds in the musician group were lower for frequency discrimination in quiet conditions only. The scalprecorded N1 amplitudes were modulated as a function of frequency change. P2 amplitudes in the musician group were larger than in the non-musician group. Dipole source analysis showed that P2 dipole activity to frequency changes was lateralized to the right hemisphere, with greater activity in the musician group regardless of the hemisphere side. Additionally, N1 amplitudes to frequency changes were positively related to behavioral thresholds for frequency discrimination while enhanced P2 amplitudes were associated with a longer duration of musical training. Conclusions: Our results demonstrate that auditory cortical potentials evoked by frequency change are related to behavioral thresholds for frequency discrimination in musicians. Larger P2 amplitudes in musicians compared to non-musicians reflects musical training-induced neural plasticity.

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Music training, music aptitude, and speech perception

Abstract: GM (2018) Inherent auditory skills rather than formal music training shape the neural encoding of speech.

Cited by 16 publications

References 10 publications

Short-Term Choir Singing Supports Speech-in-Noise Perception and Neural Pitch Strength in Older Adults With Age-Related Hearing Loss

Short-Term Choir Singing Supports Speech-in-Noise Perception and Neural Pitch Strength in Older Adults With Age-Related Hearing Loss

Musical Instrument Engagement in Adolescence Predicts Verbal Ability Four Years Later: A Twin and Adoption Study

Long-Term Musical Training Alters Auditory Cortical Activity to the Frequency Change

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