Re: Difference between cognition and perception? (Eliot Handelman )


Subject: Re: Difference between cognition and perception?
From:    Eliot Handelman  <eliot(at)GENERATION.NET>
Date:    Thu, 15 Apr 2004 20:55:06 -0400

Martin Braun wrote: >The reason for the dominance of the perception concept in music is that here >cognition is not needed. > > That's certainly not true. One of the most basic things about music -- and I think this is true of all music -- is what I refer to as the instantiation of "parallels." By this I mean anything, at any level, that involves some sort of "object constancy." A recurrent pulse involves a parallel -- at least two analogous ioi's. The concept of repetition itself is a "parallel." Parallels are applied to interval, interval size, directional pitch groupings, contour, abstract interpenetrations of directed pitch movement (which I call "shape"), rhythmic motives, multi-leveled groupings, motivic, thematic, harmonic and structural parallels. Virtually all music, even the simplest,. presents a veritable orgy of parallels. It's evident that are brains are highly attuned to their detection. Question. is the detection of parallels about perception or cognition? Unfortunately I don't know of any relevant research here. But I think it's fair assumption that where "comparisons" are made, cognition must be involved. Moreover, the kinds of comparisons that I suspect must be made even in simple music -- and I'm thinking here of music not more complex than the "happy birthday song" -- involve, minimally, cognitive comparators more or less like =, <. and > that must operate across time, within and against groups, and so on. This is a complex area . My point is simple, though. Even though I'm assigning these operations to cognition I still maintain that "perception" is the "higher" precept in music. For one thing, very few people can analyze music, whereas everyone enjoys music. The cognition involved therefore most mostly be of an "unconscious' character that "hands the results" to the intgrations of perception. So cognition MUST take place for us to appreciate music. But we're mostly not aware of it. -- eliot


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