Processing of hierarchical syntactic structure in music
Hierarchical structure with nested nonlocal dependencies is a key feature of human language and can be identified theoretically in most pieces of tonal music. However, previous studies have argued against the perception of such structures in music. Here, we show processing of nonlocal dependencies i...
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| Format: | Artikel |
| Sprache: | en_US |
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National Academy of Sciences (U.S.)
2014
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| Online Zugang: | http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/87994 |
| _version_ | 1826216198454378496 |
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| author | Rohrmeier, Martin Alois Koelsch, Stefan Torrecuso, Renzo Jentschke, Sebastian |
| author2 | Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Linguistics and Philosophy |
| author_facet | Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Linguistics and Philosophy Rohrmeier, Martin Alois Koelsch, Stefan Torrecuso, Renzo Jentschke, Sebastian |
| author_sort | Rohrmeier, Martin Alois |
| collection | MIT |
| description | Hierarchical structure with nested nonlocal dependencies is a key feature of human language and can be identified theoretically in most pieces of tonal music. However, previous studies have argued against the perception of such structures in music. Here, we show processing of nonlocal dependencies in music. We presented chorales by J. S. Bach and modified versions in which the hierarchical structure was rendered irregular whereas the local structure was kept intact. Brain electric responses differed between regular and irregular hierarchical structures, in both musicians and nonmusicians. This finding indicates that, when listening to music, humans apply cognitive processes that are capable of dealing with long-distance dependencies resulting from hierarchically organized syntactic structures. Our results reveal that a brain mechanism fundamental for syntactic processing is engaged during the perception of music, indicating that processing of hierarchical structure with nested nonlocal dependencies is not just a key component of human language, but a multidomain capacity of human cognition. |
| first_indexed | 2024-09-23T16:43:51Z |
| format | Article |
| id | mit-1721.1/87994 |
| institution | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
| language | en_US |
| last_indexed | 2024-09-23T16:43:51Z |
| publishDate | 2014 |
| publisher | National Academy of Sciences (U.S.) |
| record_format | dspace |
| spelling | mit-1721.1/879942022-10-03T07:52:07Z Processing of hierarchical syntactic structure in music Rohrmeier, Martin Alois Koelsch, Stefan Torrecuso, Renzo Jentschke, Sebastian Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Linguistics and Philosophy Rohrmeier, Martin Alois Hierarchical structure with nested nonlocal dependencies is a key feature of human language and can be identified theoretically in most pieces of tonal music. However, previous studies have argued against the perception of such structures in music. Here, we show processing of nonlocal dependencies in music. We presented chorales by J. S. Bach and modified versions in which the hierarchical structure was rendered irregular whereas the local structure was kept intact. Brain electric responses differed between regular and irregular hierarchical structures, in both musicians and nonmusicians. This finding indicates that, when listening to music, humans apply cognitive processes that are capable of dealing with long-distance dependencies resulting from hierarchically organized syntactic structures. Our results reveal that a brain mechanism fundamental for syntactic processing is engaged during the perception of music, indicating that processing of hierarchical structure with nested nonlocal dependencies is not just a key component of human language, but a multidomain capacity of human cognition. 2014-06-16T14:19:31Z 2014-06-16T14:19:31Z 2013-09 2013-01 Article http://purl.org/eprint/type/JournalArticle 0027-8424 1091-6490 http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/87994 Koelsch, S., M. Rohrmeier, R. Torrecuso, and S. Jentschke. “Processing of Hierarchical Syntactic Structure in Music.” Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 110, no. 38 (September 17, 2013): 15443–15448. en_US http://dx.doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1300272110 Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences Article is made available in accordance with the publisher's policy and may be subject to US copyright law. Please refer to the publisher's site for terms of use. application/pdf National Academy of Sciences (U.S.) National Academy of Sciences (U.S.) |
| spellingShingle | Rohrmeier, Martin Alois Koelsch, Stefan Torrecuso, Renzo Jentschke, Sebastian Processing of hierarchical syntactic structure in music |
| title | Processing of hierarchical syntactic structure in music |
| title_full | Processing of hierarchical syntactic structure in music |
| title_fullStr | Processing of hierarchical syntactic structure in music |
| title_full_unstemmed | Processing of hierarchical syntactic structure in music |
| title_short | Processing of hierarchical syntactic structure in music |
| title_sort | processing of hierarchical syntactic structure in music |
| url | http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/87994 |
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