Auditory Reaction Time and Behavioral Working Memory Differences Between Musicians and Non-Musicians

Previous research investigating working memory functioning between musicians and non-musicians has demonstrated differences related to music experience in auditory reaction tasks. This body of research suggests music experience may be related to faster reaction times to auditory stimuli. In addition to reaction times recorded by clicking a mouse while listening to a tonal oddball, participants in the current study performed six subtests of the TOMAL-2, a standardized measure of working memory ability, documenting participants visual, auditory, and executive functioning modules of working memory. Our hypotheses are that means of performance on all three subtests of the TOMAL-2 will be higher in the musician group compared to non-musicians, and that musicians will, on average, record faster reaction times to various tonal difference conditions. Results of the current study will contribute to the understanding of differences in cognitive processing related to long-term music experience

Electrophysiological and Behavioral Working Memory Differences Between Musicians and Non-Musicians

The current study is an examination of P300 differences between musicians and non-musician groups during a visual oddball task, in addition to behavioral subtests of the TOMAL-2 measuring visual and auditory working memory. Previous research has demonstrated higher amplitude P300 waveforms with shorter latencies of P300 onset in musician groups, indicating a more sensitive and accurate stimulus detection system. Fluctuations of P300 amplitude and latency activity near parietal areas have been used to quantify differences in updating processes of working memory possibly associated with differences in amounts of music experience. The current study is designed to partially replicate a method previously implemented by George and Coch (2011) in order to contribute to the body of research describing how music experience may be associated with differences in visual processing as well as auditory working memory. Behavioral data will be collected using six standardized subtest measures of the TOMAL-2, followed by event-related potential (ERP) recordings during a large and small circle visual oddball task. The current study hypothesizes musicians will score significantly higher on the TOMAL-2 and record shorter latency with higher P300 amplitudes associated with greater amounts of music experience in areas previously associated with working memory processing