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Exposure influences expressive timing judgments in music
Henkjan Honing1, Olivia Ladinig
1Universiteit van Amsterdam, Nieuwe Doelenstraat, Amsterdam, the Netherlands. honing@uva.nl
Journal of Experimental Psychology. Human Perception and Performance
|January 28, 2009
Summary
Listeners
Area of Science:
- Music Cognition
- Auditory Perception
Background:
- Listener's musical background influences music perception.
- The roles of musical exposure and expertise in music cognition are debated.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the influence of musical exposure and formal training on expressive timing judgments.
- To test the expertise hypothesis versus the exposure hypothesis in music perception.
Main Methods:
- A Web-based listening experiment was conducted.
- Participants with diverse musical backgrounds compared tempo-transformed musical excerpts across three genres.
- Expressive timing judgments were analyzed in relation to listener experience.
Main Results:
- Listener's expressive timing judgments were significantly influenced by exposure to specific musical idioms.
- Formal musical training (expertise) showed less influence on these judgments compared to exposure.
- Musical capabilities appear to be acquired through passive and active listening (exposure).
Conclusions:
- Musical idiom exposure, rather than formal expertise, is a key factor in developing expressive timing perception.
- Active listening and general music exposure enhance musical capabilities more than formal training alone.
- This study supports the exposure hypothesis in music cognition.
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