Explaining the Musical Advantage in Speech Perception Through Beat Perception and Working Memory

Although musical experience has been linked to enhanced speech-in-noise (SIN) perception, the mechanisms underlying this relationship remain unclear. While previous studies have identified contributions from both auditory and cognitive skills, few have evaluated these contributions within an integrated framework. Furthermore, most studies have relied on binary comparisons between musicians and nonmusicians. Here, we assessed 62 young adults with normal hearing using a continuous measure of musical engagement (Goldsmiths Musical Sophistication Index) alongside tests of beat perception (Beat Alignment Test), pitch discrimination (frequency difference limen), auditory working memory (WAIS digit span), and subcortical pitch encoding (frequency-following response, FFR). SIN perception was measured with a spatialized two-talker masker task. Greater musical sophistication was associated with better SIN performance, stronger working memory, finer beat perception, and sharper pitch discrimination. Regression analyses identified working memory and beat perception as the strongest predictors, and mediation analyses indicated that these skills contributed to the association between musical sophistication and SIN performance, with working memory accounting for the most variance. In contrast, pitch discrimination and FFR precision were not significant predictors. Our findings clarify the cognitive and temporal foundations of the musician advantage and highlight the value of considering musical engagement as a continuous variable rather than categorical.