Re: Difference between cognition and perception?

["Scharine, Angelique (Civ,ARL/HRED)" <AScharine@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

I disagree. Even though I don't study music cognition myself, I can just look at my bookshelf to see several counterexamples:  

Sloboda, "The Musical Mind: the Cognitive Psychology of Music" 
Deliege & Sloboda, "Perception and cognition of Music"
Krumhansl, "Cognitive Foundations of Musical Pitch"
McAdams and Bigand, "Thinking in Sound"

Music would be fairly difficult to listen to if we didn't have some sort of organizational principles to give it structure. This is why atonal, ametrical music is not very widespread. It is difficult and not satisfying to listen to (at least for most of us). 
A.

One glance at a book and you hear the voice of another person, perhaps someone dead for 
1,000 years. To read is to voyage through time. -Carl Sagan, astronomer and writer (1934-1996)


Angélique A. Scharine Ph. D.
Army Research Lab/HRED
AMSRD-ARL-HR-SD
Building 520
Aberdeen Proving Ground, MD
21005-5425

 
Office: (410) 278-5957
DSN: 298-5957
Fax: (410) 278-3587



-----Original Message-----
From: AUDITORY Research in Auditory Perception [mailto:AUDITORY@LISTS.MCGILL.CA] On Behalf Of Martin Braun
Sent: Thursday, April 15, 2004 3:19 PM
To: AUDITORY@LISTS.MCGILL.CA
Subject: Re: Difference between cognition and perception?


Dear Eliot, and others,

on Thursday, April 15, Eliot Handelman wrote:

> ........ In the case of music, perception seems to me much more 
> complex than cognition, though obviously in part driven by cognition

The two terms do not change their meaning, when it comes to music. Also here, perception precedes cognition. Further, the concept of "music cognition" rarely occurs in music psychology. The concept of "music perception", however, is very common. There even is a journal with that name.

The reason for the dominance of the perception concept in music is that here cognition is not needed.

An interesting example from music perception is absolute pitch, both explicit (conscious) and implicit (subconscious). It is similar automatic as color perception. And we never say color cognition.

So, music is by no means confusing our language game. It's fully playing according to the rules.

Martin

--------------------------------
Martin Braun
Neuroscience of Music
S-671 95 Klässbol
Sweden
web site: http://w1.570.telia.com/~u57011259/index.htm