The Associations Between Music Training, Musical Working Memory, and Visuospatial Working Memory

Abstract

Prior research studying the relationship between music training (MT) and more general cognitive faculties, such as visuospatial working memory (VSWM), often fails to include tests of musical memory. This may result in causal pathways between MT and other such variables being misrepresented, potentially explaining certain ambiguous findings in the literature concerning the relationship between MT and executive functions. Here we address this problem using latent variable modeling and causal modeling to study a triplet of variables related to working memory: MT, musical working memory (MWM), and VSWM. The triplet framing allows for the potential application of d-separation (similar to mediation analysis) and V-structure search, which is particularly useful since, in the absence of expensive randomized control trials, it can test causal hypotheses using cross-sectional data. We collected data from 148 participants using a battery of MWM and VSWM tasks as well as a MT questionnaire. Our results suggest: 1) VSWM and MT are unrelated, conditional on MWM; and 2) by implication, there is no far transfer between MT and VSWM without near transfer. However, the data are unable to distinguish an unambiguous causal structure. We conclude by discussing the possibility of extending these models to incorporate more complex or cyclic effects.

Musical development during adolescence: Perceptual skills, cognitive resources, and musical training

“…Across different test waves, the length of the adaptive MDT differed slightly and ranged from 18 to 20 trials. Reliability (SEM = 0.62) and correlational validity with the Musical Ear Test and a test of musical imagery ability ( r = 0.52 and r = 0.57) of the MDT are in the acceptable to good range 16,65 …”

“…18 On the other hand, working memory and general intelligence are described as necessary components of the cognitive profile of successful music learners that may be largely determined by genetics. 19,20 As Silas et al 16 have shown recently, cross-sectional data can be helpful to narrow down the set of possible causal hypotheses but only under certain conditions can cross-sectional data actually provide evidence for just a single causal model consistent with the data.…”

“…Indisputably, musical training is a necessary requirement for the development of musical motor skills and instrumental learning. However, the traditional debate on whether the development of fundamental cognitive resources, such as working memory or general intelligence, is a prerequisite or a consequence of musical training has intensified recently 15,16 . On one hand, there is evidence suggesting that working memory capacity and executive functions increase in response to musical training 17 through music‐induced brain plasticity 18 .…”

Learning to play a musical instrument in the middle school is associated with superior audiovisual working memory and fluid intelligence: A cross-sectional behavioral study

“…Finding associations between music training and mental abilities like linguistic aptitude, visuo-spatial thinking, fluid reasoning and processing speed is fascinating and poses challenging issues concerning the underlying causes and developmental mechanisms. However, although there are favorable correlations between music training and cognitive skills, most of the relevant evidence is based on correlational studies, i.e., observational data, excluding causal inferences or only making it possible under certain conditions ( Silas et al, 2022 ). Consequently, the very idea of non-musical benefits of music training is still questioned and debated in the scientific community.…”

“…Auditory WM is the process of recalling sounds in mind for short periods of time when the sounds are no longer present in the environment; particularly, the expression “musical WM” specifically refers to the temporary storage and manipulation of musical inputs, like notations or musical sounds, useful for the completion of musical tasks ( Silas et al, 2022 ). Auditory WM was also found to have a specific relationship with music sophistication ( Lin et al, 2021 ; Lad et al, 2022 ; Silas et al, 2022 ), a multifaceted construct applicable to the general population since it focuses on multiple aspects of an individual’s musicality (improvisation, having a strong sense of pitch and rhythm, musical comprehension, appreciation, judgment, and communication abilities) which do not necessarily require mastering an instrument ( Ollen, 2006 ; Müllensiefen et al, 2014 ; Zhang et al, 2020 ; Porflitt and Rosas, 2022 ). While several studies clearly indicate advantages of musicians in auditory WM ( Schulze et al, 2011b ; Kraus et al, 2012 ; Zuk et al, 2014 ; Slater and Kraus, 2016 ; Slevc et al, 2016 ; Alain et al, 2018 ; Guo et al, 2018 ; Nie et al, 2021 ), the evidence is controversial for visual WM.…”