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Melodic Universals Emerge or Are Sustained Through Cultural Evolution
Tessa Verhoef1, Andrea Ravignani2
1Creative Intelligence Lab, Leiden Institute for Advanced Computer Science, Leiden University, Leiden, Netherlands.
Frontiers in Psychology
|August 19, 2021
Summary
This study shows how human biases and iterated learning can create universal patterns in music. Experiments with whistled tunes suggest cultural adaptation explains melodic universals in music.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Science
- Ethnomusicology
- Evolutionary Psychology
Background:
- Music exhibits both universal patterns and cultural variability.
- Understanding the origins of musical structures requires explaining this duality.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate if statistical universals in melodic structures emerge from cultural adaptation via iterated learning.
- To test the role of human biases in shaping musical universals.
Main Methods:
- An iterated learning experiment using artificial whistled systems.
- Human participants learned and transmitted whistled signals sequentially.
- Analysis focused on the emergence of seven predefined melodic features.
Main Results:
- Evidence for the emergence of most tested statistical universals was found.
- Features like discrete pitches, motivic patterns, and phrase repetition showed signs of universality.
- The findings support the role of iterated learning in shaping melodic universals.
Conclusions:
- Iterated learning experiments can reveal melodic statistical universals, akin to rhythmic universals.
- Cultural transmission and human biases likely contribute to universal tendencies in music.
- Further cross-cultural research is needed to solidify these findings.
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