Space-pitch associations differ in their susceptibility to language

Area of Science:

• Cognitive psychology
• Linguistics
• Music cognition

Background:

• Cross-cultural research suggests links between musical pitch and spatial dimensions.
• Evidence is mixed regarding whether these associations are universal or shaped by language.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the influence of linguistic metaphors on space-pitch associations.
• To compare pitch-space mappings in Dutch and Turkish speakers.

Main Methods:

• Nonlinguistic space-pitch association tasks were administered to Dutch and Turkish speakers.
• Participants matched pitches to spatial stimuli varying in height and thickness.

Main Results:

• Both groups demonstrated thickness-pitch associations.
• Dutch and Turkish speakers differed in height-pitch associations, with Dutch speakers favoring height-pitch mappings.
• Turkish speakers prioritized thickness-pitch mappings, even when opposing height-pitch cues.

Conclusions:

• Space-pitch associations are not uniform across languages and are influenced by linguistic metaphors.
• Height-pitch associations appear more susceptible to language than thickness-pitch associations.