Name:Maria, Psomas

School/Affiliation:Concordia University

Co-Authors:P. Berry, M.F. Assaneo, E.B.J. Coffey, & V.B. Penhune

Virtual or In-person:In-person

Abstract:

Research suggests a sensitive period for music training during which early training produces long-term effects on behaviour and the brain. Early-trained (ET) musicians who began training before seven years old outperform late-trained (LT) musicians on rhythm synchronization tasks and exhibit anatomical differences in brain regions implicated in auditory-motor synchronization. The ability to coordinate movements with rhythmic auditory stimuli is enhanced with music training. Due to this enhancement, we believe music training can subsequently improve language-related abilities. We expect that musicians heightened synchronization skills will transfer to benefits in statistical language learning. As such, we propose a project that will elucidate the role of age of start (AoS) of music training on auditory-motor synchronization and language learning abilities. We will recruit 105 participants (ET and LT musicians and a non-musician control group). Participants will be matched according to lifetime music experience, years of formal training, current hours of music practice and demographics to ensure that group differences can be attributed to AoS. They will complete synchronization tasks across different modalities (speech, tonal, rhythmic) and a statistical language learning paradigm. Their performance on these behavioural measures will then be related to their frequency-following responses (FFR) collected via electroencephalography to determine if synchronization abilities are related to the neural encoding of speech sounds and if AoS mediates this effect. This proposed project has implication for the transfer of music to language skills as it will improve our understanding of the neuroplastic timeline for auditory-motor synchronization.