Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Experiment Videos

Absolute pitch: a case study.

P E Vernon

    British Journal of Psychology (London, England : 1953)
    |November 1, 1977
    PubMed
    Summary
    This summary is machine-generated.

    Absolute pitch, the ability to identify musical notes without a reference tone, can change with age. This study suggests age-related auditory changes may affect pitch perception, impacting the accuracy of absolute pitch.

    Related Experiment Videos

    Related Concept Videos

    You might also read

    Related Articles

    Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

    Sort by
    Same author

    The assessment of human temperament.

    The Eugenics review·2011
    Same author

    Genetics of intellect.

    The Eugenics review·2011
    Same author

    Genetics of intellect.

    The Eugenics review·2011
    Same author

    Intelligence tests.

    The Eugenics review·2011
    Same author

    The prevalence of the mental defect.

    The Eugenics review·2011
    Same author

    Psychological research in war time.

    The Eugenics review·2011

    Area of Science:

    • Auditory Neuroscience
    • Psychoacoustics

    Background:

    • Absolute pitch (AP) is a rare auditory skill distinct from trainable tonal height discrimination.
    • The study investigates changes in AP accuracy over an individual's lifespan.

    Observation:

    • The author experienced a shift in AP, perceiving music progressively higher in pitch with age (from 17 to 71).
    • Controlled tests confirmed this shift, with 68-95% of notes identified inaccurately (1-2 semitones high).

    Findings:

    • Age-related changes in the basilar membrane's elasticity are proposed as a cause, rather than memory degradation.
    • This suggests peripheral auditory processing contributes to pitch perception errors.

    Implications:

    • Auditory system changes with age can impact the accuracy of absolute pitch.
  • Complex sound resolution may occur peripherally, providing potentially erroneous data to the brain.