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Auditory imagery and the poor-pitch singer.
Peter Q Pfordresher1, Andrea R Halpern
1Department of Psychology, University at Buffalo, NY 14260, USA. pqp@buffalo.edu
Psychonomic Bulletin & Review
|February 16, 2013
Summary
Singing in tune relies on auditory imagery, not just pitch perception. Poor pitch singing correlates with less vivid auditory imagery, suggesting a link between auditory imagery and vocal pitch imitation.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Neuroscience
- Auditory Perception
- Motor Control
Background:
- Vocal pitch imitation, like singing, involves planning laryngeal movements based on anticipated auditory targets.
- Auditory imagery, the mental simulation of sounds, activates brain regions involved in motor planning.
- Poor pitch singing is common but not fully explained by pitch perception deficits.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the hypothesis that deficient auditory imagery contributes to poor pitch singing.
- To explore the relationship between auditory imagery vividness, control, and vocal pitch imitation accuracy.
- To determine if auditory imagery predicts pitch discrimination ability.
Main Methods:
- Participants performed vocal pitch imitation tasks (singing simple sequences).
- Pitch discrimination abilities were assessed using pitch height judgments.
- Auditory imagery was measured using the Bucknell Auditory Imagery Scale (BAIS) self-report questionnaire.
Main Results:
- Vocal imitation accuracy (percentage of in-tune trials) significantly correlated with self-reported vividness of auditory imagery.
- Auditory imagery scores did not predict pitch discrimination performance.
- The ability to control auditory imagery did not correlate with singing accuracy.
Conclusions:
- Findings support a significant link between the vividness of auditory imagery and the ability to imitate vocal pitch accurately.
- Auditory imagery, rather than pitch perception, may be a key factor in successful vocal pitch imitation.
- Deficits in auditory imagery could underlie difficulties in singing in tune.
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