Graduate student positions Auditory Cognitive Neuroscience McMaster

Graduate Student Positions in Auditory Cognitive Neuroscience at McMaster University

Graduate positions are available under the supervision of Dr. Laurel Trainor in the Auditory Development Laboratory (http://trainorlab.mcmaster.ca/) and the LIVELab at the McMaster Institute for Music and the Mind (http://livelab.mcmaster.ca/) at McMaster University. The labs are well funded through the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), The Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC), the Social Science and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC), and various foundations. Research in the labs covers a range of topics including the development of pitch perception, sound localization, and auditory scene analysis (the process of determining the number and identity of sounds sources in the environment) in infants and young children; neuroplasticity and effects of experiences such as musical training or hearing loss across the lifespan; how rhythms are encoded in the brain through interactions between auditory and motor systems; effects on social behaviour in infants and young children of moving in sync with others to musical rhythms; and applications to special populations such as those with Autism, Developmental Coordination Disorder, and Performance Anxiety.

A variety of research methods are used to investigate these questions including psychophysics, infant behavioural paradigms (e.g., conditioned head turn; preferential looking; eye tracking); event-related analyses of EEG recordings; and time-frequency analyses of oscillatory brain wave activity in EEG and MEG. In addition, the LIVELab provides a unique 100-seat research performance venue in which interactions between performers and between audiences and performers can be studied. It houses various equipment systems that are time-synced, including an active acoustics system that can mimic acoustic environments, from a concert hall to a subway station; dense array EEG in up to 4 performers simultaneously; up to 8 channels of physiology (e.g., EEG, heart rate, breathing, GSR) in 32 audience members simultaneously; motion capture of performers and audience members; and a Disklavier piano.

Publications from the lab can be downloaded at http://trainorlab.mcmaster.ca//publications.htm. Recent examples of published research findings that were covered in the popular press include: Hove, M. J., Marie, C., Bruce, I. C. & Trainor, L. J. (2014). Superior time perception for lower musical pitch explains why bass-ranged instruments lay down musical rhythms, PNAS; and Cirelli, L. K., Einarson, K. M. & Trainor, L. J. (2014). Interpersonal synchrony increases prosocial behavior in infants. Developmental Science, 1-9. Examples of press coverage can be found at http://trainorlab.mcmaster.ca//press.htm and http://livelab.mcmaster.ca/about-us/press/.

McMaster is a research-intensive university, consistently ranking among the top universities in the world, and the McMaster Institute for Music and the Mind promotes interdisciplinary research among neuroscientists, engineers, health scientists and musicians. Normally, students will have completed an undergraduate degree in Psychology, Neuroscience or a related field, show research potential, and the ability to learn complex data analysis methods. Interested students should apply to the graduate program through the Department of Psychology, Neuroscience & Behaviour (http://www.science.mcmaster.ca/pnb/graduate-studies/prospective-students.html). Please contact Dr. Laurel Trainor at LJT@xxxxxxxxxxx for further information.