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Individual differences in musical training and executive functions: A latent variable approach
Brooke M Okada1, L Robert Slevc2
1Department of Psychology, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, USA. bokada@umd.edu.
Memory & Cognition
|May 13, 2018
Summary
Musical training is linked to enhanced working memory updating, a key component of executive functions (EFs). This study suggests specific cognitive benefits of musical experience, particularly for processes that regulate task demands.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Neuroscience
- Psychology
- Music Cognition
Background:
- Musical training engages various cognitive abilities, potentially conferring advantages in related processes.
- Executive functions (EFs) are crucial for regulating behavior and cognition, and their link to musicality is debated.
- Previous research on musical training and EFs shows mixed results due to varied methodologies and task designs.
Purpose of the Study:
- To comprehensively assess the relationship between individual differences in musical training and executive functions.
- To investigate how musical experience relates to inhibition, shifting, and working memory updating.
- To clarify the specific cognitive benefits associated with musical training.
Main Methods:
- Administered a validated executive function (EF) battery assessing inhibition, shifting, and working memory updating.
- Utilized a comprehensive measure of musical training and sophistication.
- Employed correlational analyses, controlling for IQ, socioeconomic status, and handedness.
Main Results:
- Musical training showed correlations with some individual tasks of inhibition and working memory updating.
- No significant correlations were found between musical training and individual tasks of shifting.
- Musical training predicted the latent variable of working memory updating, but not inhibition or shifting, after controlling for covariates.
Conclusions:
- Musical experience appears to place specific demands on working memory updating processes.
- The findings suggest a targeted cognitive advantage for musicians in working memory updating.
- Further research is needed to explore the causal relationship and underlying mechanisms.
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