Perceptions and predictions of expertise in advanced musical learners

The aim of this article was to compare musicians' views on (a) the importance of musical skills and (b) the nature of expertise. Data were obtained from a specially devised web-based questionnaire completed by advanced musicians representing four musical genres (classical, popular, jazz, Scottish traditional) and varying degrees of professional musical experience (tertiary education music students, portfolio career musicians). Comparisons were made across musical genres (classical vs. other-than-classical), gender, age and professional status (student musicians vs. portfolio career musicians). Musicians' 'ideal' versus 'perceived' levels of musical skills and expertise were also compared and factors predicting musicians' self-reported level of skills and expertise were investigated. Findings suggest that the perception of expertise in advanced musical learners is a complex phenomenon that relates to each of four key variables (gender, age, musical genre and professional experience). The study also shows that discrepancies between advanced musicians' ideal and self-assessed levels of musical skills and expertise are closely related to gender and professional experience. Finally, characteristics that predict and account for variability in musicians' views and attitudes regarding musical expertise and self-assessments of personal expertise levels are highlighted. Results are viewed in the context of music learning and implications for music education are discussed

'Looking before and after': Can simple eye tracking patterns distinguish poetic from prosaic texts?

IntroductionThe study of 'serious' literature has recently developed into an emerging field called neurocognitive poetics that applies cognitive neuroscientific techniques to examine how we understand and appreciate poetry. The current research used eye-tracking techniques on a small sample of young adults to see if and how the reading of short pieces of poetry differed from the reading of matched prosaic texts.MethodsWith 'proof of concept' intentions reflecting arguments first proposed by 19th Century literary figures, there was a particular focus on the differences between the reading of poetry and prose in terms number and frequency of fixations and regressive eye movements back and forth within the texts in this two-by-two experimental design (poetry vs. prose x need vs. no need for final line reappraisal).ResultsIt was found that poetic pieces compared to prosaic pieces were associated with more and longer fixations and more regressive eye movements throughout the text. The need to reappraise meaning at the prompt of a final line was only significantly associated with more regressive eye movements. Comparisons examining the 4 text conditions (poetic reappraisal, poetic non-reappraisal, prosaic reappraisal, and prosaic non-reappraisal) showed that the poetic reappraisal condition was characterised by significantly more regressive eye movements as well as longer fixations compared to the prosaic non-reappraisal condition. No significant correlations were found between self-reported literary familiarity and eye tracking patterns.DiscussionDespite limitations, this proof-of-concept study provides insights into reading patterns that can help to define objectively the nature of poetic material as requiring slower reading particularly characterised by more and longer fixations and eye movements backwards through the texts compared to the faster, more linear reading of prose. Future research using these, and other psychophysiological metrics can begin to unpack the putative cognitive benefits of reading literary material

Investigating musical performance: Commonality and diversity amongst classical and non-classical musicians

The research project 'Investigating Musical Performance: Comparative Studies in Advanced Musical Learning' was devised to investigate how classical, popular, jazz and Scottish traditional musicians deepen and develop their learning about performance in undergraduate, postgraduate and wider music community contexts. The aim of this paper is to explore the findings relating to attitudes towards the importance of musical skills, the relevance of musical activities and the nature of musical expertise. Questionnaire data obtained from the first phase of data collection (n = 244) produced evidence of differences and similarities between classical and non-classical musicians. While classical musicians emphasised the drive to excel musically and technically and prioritised notation-based skills and analytical skills, non-classical musicians attached greater importance to memorising and improvising. Regardless of genre, the musicians all considered practical activities such as practising, rehearsing, taking lessons and giving performances to be relevant. However, while classical musicians attached greater relevance to giving lessons and solo performances, their non-classical colleagues considered making music for fun and listening to music within their own genre to be more relevant. Some underlying processes that may have accounted for the differences in attitudes are explored, including musical influences, age of initial engagement with music and educational background. Points of similarity and differences are discussed, and possibilities for the two musical trajectories to inform and learn from each other are highlighted

From music student to professional: the process of transition

This article addresses the question of whether higher education music courses adequately prepare young musicians for the critical transition from music undergraduate to professional. Thematic analyses of interviews with 27 undergraduate and portfolio career musicians representing four musical genres were compared. The evidence suggests that the process of transition into professional life for musicians across the four focus genres may be facilitated when higher education experiences include mentoring that continues after graduation, the development of strong multi-genre peer networks, the provision of many and varied performance opportunities and support for developing self-discipline and autonomy in relation to the acquisition of musical expertise. Implications for higher education curricula are discussed. © 2008 Cambridge University Press

The Necessity of Ambiguity in Self-Other Processing: A Psychosocial Perspective With Implications for Mental Health

While distinguishing between the actions and physical boundaries of self and other (non-self) is usually straightforward there are contexts in which such differentiation is challenging. For example, self–other ambiguity may occur when actions of others are similar or complementary to those of the self. Even in the absence of such situational challenges, individuals experiencing hallucinations have difficulties with this distinction, often experiencing thoughts or actions of self as belonging to other agents. This paper explores the role of ambiguity in self–other differentiation, drawing from developmental, psychodynamic, and neurocognitive perspectives. A key proposal is that engagement in contexts that make distinctions between self and other challenging yet necessary allow reality-testing skills related to agency to develop. Attunement in typical caregiver–infant interactions is framed as a safe but inherently ambiguous environment that provides optimal condition for the infant to develop a coherent self–other sense. Vulnerability to psychosis may be related to limited access to such an environment in early development. However, the perceptual, cognitive, and social skills that contribution to attribution are likely to be malleable following infancy and improve though opportunities for boundary play in similarly ambiguous settings. Using music-making to illustrate, we postulate that engagement in intricate joint-actions that blurs agentic boundaries can contribute to the continued development of an adaptive sense of self and other essential to healthy social functioning. Increased insight into the self–other ambiguity may enhance our understanding of mechanisms underlying “self-disorders” such as schizophrenia and eventually extend the range of social and arts-based therapeutic possibilities

Agency performance modulates resting-state variation in prefrontal brain regions

Distinguishing the effects of own from others’ actions is a prerequisite for effective interpersonal functioning. Individuals differ in their ability to do this. For example, difficulties in self-other attribution have been linked to positive symptoms of schizophrenia such as hallucinations, with causally ambiguous situations proving a universal challenge. The goal of the present study was to examine relationships between individual differences in resting-state functional connectivity and self-other attribution performance. Fifty-five healthy adults completed a resting-state fMRI scan and an attribution task that involved tapping at irregular intervals while listening to a tone sequence. The likelihood that tones in the sequence corresponded to the participant's taps was systematically varied. Using group independent component analysis (ICA) and dual regression, we found that connectivity between prefrontal networks associated with self-referential processing and regions sensitive to externally-generated stimuli was modulated by participants’ ability to accurately assess the proportion of tones belonging to self versus other. These findings shed additional light on the neural mechanisms of agency, emphasising that connectivity with prefrontal networks play an important role in self-other differentiation

The relationship between white matter architecture and language lateralisation in the healthy brain

Interhemispheric anatomical asymmetries have long been thought to be related to language lateralisation. Previous studies have explored whether asymmetries in the diffusion characteristics of white matter language tracts are consistent with language lateralisation. These studies, typically with smaller cohorts, yielded mixed results. This study investigated whether connectomic analysis of quantitative anisotropy (QA) and shape features of white matter tracts across the whole brain are associated with language lateralisation. We analysed 1040 healthy individuals from the Human Connectome Project database. Hemispheric language dominance for each participant was quantified using a laterality quotient (LQ) derived from fMRI activation in regions of interest (ROIs) associated with a language comprehension task compared against a math task. A linear regression model was used to examine the relationship between structural asymmetry and functional lateralisation. Connectometry revealed that LQs were significantly negatively correlated with QA of corpus callosum tracts, including forceps minor, body, tapetum, and forceps major, indicating that reduced language dominance (more bilateral language representation) is associated with increased QA in these regions. The QA of the left arcuate fasciculus, cingulum, and right cerebellar tracts was positively associated with LQ, suggesting that stronger structural asymmetry in these tracts may identify left language dominance. Language lateralisation was not significantly associated with the shape metrics (including length, span, curl, elongation, diameter, volume, and surface area) of all white matter tracts. These results suggest that diffusion measures of microstructural architecture, and not the geometric features of reconstructed white matter tracts, are associated with lateralisation of language comprehension functions. People with increased dependence on both cerebral hemispheres for language processing may have more developed commissural fibres, which may support more efficient interhemispheric communication

Perceived neighbourhood affluence, mental health and wellbeing influence judgements of threat and trust on our streets: An urban walking study

This study aimed to understand how people respond to different urban neighbourhoods. We explored whether participants’ mental health and wellbeing, judgements of resident wealth, family SES and sentiments reflected in descriptions of place features predicted in situ sense of threat and trust. Forty-six student participants walked in groups through 2 urban neighbourhoods, separated by a park, in the North West of England, noting responses at pre-determined stops. Significant differences existed in participants’ sense of trust and threat between the 2 neighbourhoods along with differences in perceived resident wealth and sentiments expressed. Participants’ levels of persecutory ideas and their sense of residents’ wealth predicted in situ trust in both neighbourhoods while level of personal resilience predicted the extent of threat felt in the more deprived neighbourhood. Demonstrating the value of the method, these findings have implications for the governance of urban neighbourhoods whereby obvious cues signalling a harsh environment need to be minimised to create more positive psychological responses to places

Association Between Anatomical Location of Surgically Induced Lesions and Postoperative Seizure Outcome in Temporal Lobe Epilepsy

Background and objectivesTo determine the association between surgical lesions of distinct gray and white structures and connections with favorable postoperative seizure outcomes.MethodsPatients with drug-resistant temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) from 3 epilepsy centers were included. We employed a voxel-based and connectome-based mapping approach to determine the association between favorable outcomes and surgery-induced temporal lesions. Analyses were conducted controlling for multiple confounders, including total surgical resection/ablation volume, hippocampal volumes, side of surgery, and site where the patient was treated.ResultsThe cohort included 113 patients with TLE (54 women; 86 right-handed; mean age at seizure onset 16.5 years [SD 11.9]; 54.9% left) who were 61.1% free of disabling seizures (Engel Class 1) at follow-up. Postoperative seizure freedom in TLE was associated with (1) surgical lesions that targeted the hippocampus as well as the amygdala-piriform cortex complex and entorhinal cortices; (2) disconnection of temporal, frontal, and limbic regions through loss of white matter tracts within the uncinate fasciculus, anterior commissure, and fornix; and (3) functional disconnection of the frontal (superior and middle frontal gyri, orbitofrontal region) and temporal (superior and middle pole) lobes.DiscussionBetter postoperative seizure freedom is associated with surgical lesions of specific structures and connections throughout the temporal lobes. These findings shed light on the key components of epileptogenic networks in TLE and constitute a promising source of new evidence for future improvements in surgical interventions.Classification of evidenceThis study provides Class II evidence that for patients with TLE, postoperative seizure freedom is associated with surgical lesions of specific temporal lobe structures and connections