Learning effects of piano playing on tactile recognition of sequential stimuli

To examine the effect of learning experiences of piano playing on a tactile sequential recognition task, two experiments were conducted. In the first experiment, pianists and control subjects were given sequential tactile stimuli and were asked to report the simulated fingers and the order. The pianists showed a left hand superiority and performed better than the control group. In the second experiment, the skilled pianists and the control subjects were given both sequential tactile stimuli and auditory stimuli (unrelated melodies) simultaneously. The sequential stimuli recognition of the skilled pianists was interfered with by the presentation of the unrelated melody, and this tendency was more prominent in their left hand, while the performance of the control subjects was not affected by the presentation of the melody. These results suggest that pianists employed a special strategy, such as transforming tactile stimuli into something like a melody to improve their performance. Based upon these results, effects of learning experiences on hemisphere function were discussed.