Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 10, 2025
06:04
Systematic Hearing Performance Evaluation Process for Adolescents with Cochlear Implantation at Early Ages
Published on: March 24, 2023
343
Cochlear implant users experience the sound-to-music effect
Anna V Kasdan1,2, Iliza M Butera1, Andrea J DeFreese3
1Vanderbilt Brain Institute, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA.
Auditory Perception & Cognition
|October 11, 2024
Summary
Cochlear implant (CI) users can experience the sound-to-music effect, where repeated sounds are perceived as musical. However, this effect is less pronounced in CI users compared to those with normal hearing, highlighting the role of temporal cues.
Area of Science:
- Auditory perception
- Neuroscience
- Audiology
Background:
- The speech-to-song and sound-to-music illusions demonstrate how repetition can induce musical percepts.
- Cochlear implant (CI) users face significant challenges in perceiving music due to physiological and device-related limitations.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate whether repetition can elicit musical percepts in CI users.
- To compare the magnitude of the sound-to-music effect in CI users versus normal-hearing (NH) individuals.
Main Methods:
- Thirty adult CI users and 30 age-matched NH controls participated.
- Two repetition experiments were conducted using speech and nonspeech sounds (water droplets).
- Participants rated the perceived musicality of repeated sounds.
Main Results:
- CI users experienced the sound-to-music effect, but to a lesser degree than NH participants.
- Musicality ratings were not correlated with musical training, frequency resolution, or duration of hearing loss in CI users.
- Temporal/rhythmic cues appear sufficient for the sound-to-music effect with limited spectral information.
Conclusions:
- Temporal processing plays a crucial role in the sound-to-music effect, even with limited spectral information provided by cochlear implants.
- Tailored music incorporating short repetitions may enhance musical experiences for CI users.
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