article
Processing of hierarchical syntactic strusture in music
Fecha
2013-07-30Registro en:
KOELSH, Stefan; ROHRMEIER, Martin; TORRECUSO, Renzo; JENTSCHKE, Sebastian. Processing of hierarchical syntactic strusture in music. PNAS. Boston, v., n., jul., 2013.
1091-6490
Autor
Koelsh, Stefan
Rohrmeier, Martin
Torrecuso, Renzo
Jentschke, Sebastian
Resumen
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 inwhich 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 longdistance
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.