Re: infants and pitch (Stewart Hulse )


Subject: Re: infants and pitch
From:    Stewart Hulse  <hulse(at)TAMPABAY.RR.COM>
Date:    Sat, 1 May 2004 15:53:00 -0400

This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ------=_NextPart_000_013D_01C42F94.611B4960 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable infants and pitchAndrea Halpern also published an article directly on = this point in the late 1990s, as I recall. See also Takeuchi & Hulse = (1993) Psychological Bulletin for comments on the change from absolute = to relative pitch perception in development. Stewart Hulse ----- Original Message -----=20 From: Susan Hall=20 To: AUDITORY(at)LISTS.MCGILL.CA=20 Sent: Saturday, May 01, 2004 3:14 PM Subject: infants and pitch Annemarie Seither-Preisler wrote: The findings by Saffran appear to be very revealing in this respect, = showing that young infants at the age of 8 months, unlike adults, = primarily rely on absolute pitch cues. Saffran, J. R. & Griepentrog, G. J. Absolute pitch in infant = auditory learning: evidence for developmental reorganization. Dev = Psychol 37, 74-85 (2001). Saffran, J. R. Musical Learning and Language Development. Ann NY = Acad Sci 999, 397-401 (2003). In summary, these results suggest that absolute pitch is a primary = perceptual mode that is heavily superseded by relative pitch (probably = in the course of language acquisition). Early musical training or = learning a tonal language like Thai or Japanese may help to prevent this = edging out-process, with the consequence that certain subjects retain = the ability to perceive absolute pitch throughout life. Verbal = categorizations of notes may be helpful in this respect, but it would be = misleading to take them for the main underlying cause. A paper by Sandra Trehub suggests that infants are also sensitive to = relative pitch: Trehub SE (2001) Musical predispositions in infancy. Ann NY Acad Sci, = 930: 1-16 2001. In searching for this ref, I just found another of Trehub's = demonstrating the ability of non-musicians to discriminate recordings of = instrumental themes from popular TV shows in their correct key, from = those transposed up or down by only one or two semi-tones. They conclude = that "Adults' reportedly poor memory for pitch is likely to be a = by-product of their inability to name isolated pitches." Schellenberg, EG and Trehub, SE (2003) Good pitch memory is = widespread. Pyschological Science, 14 (3): 262-266. Susan Hall Dalhousie University ------=_NextPart_000_013D_01C42F94.611B4960 Content-Type: text/html; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable <!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN"> <HTML><HEAD><TITLE>infants and pitch</TITLE> <META http-equiv=3DContent-Type content=3D"text/html; = charset=3Diso-8859-1"> <STYLE type=3Dtext/css>BLOCKQUOTE { PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; PADDING-TOP: 0px } DL { PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; PADDING-TOP: 0px } UL { PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; PADDING-TOP: 0px } OL { PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; PADDING-TOP: 0px } LI { PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; PADDING-TOP: 0px } </STYLE> <META content=3D"MSHTML 6.00.2800.1400" name=3DGENERATOR></HEAD> <BODY bgColor=3D#ffffff> <DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>Andrea Halpern also published an = article directly=20 on this point in the late 1990s, as I recall.&nbsp; See also Takeuchi = &amp;=20 Hulse (1993) Psychological Bulletin for comments on the change from = absolute to=20 relative pitch perception in development.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2></FONT>&nbsp;</DIV> <DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>Stewart Hulse</FONT></DIV> <BLOCKQUOTE dir=3Dltr=20 style=3D"PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; = BORDER-LEFT: #000000 2px solid; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px"> <DIV style=3D"FONT: 10pt arial">----- Original Message ----- </DIV> <DIV=20 style=3D"BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; FONT: 10pt arial; font-color: = black"><B>From:</B>=20 <A title=3Dsusanhal(at)DAL.CA href=3D"mailto:susanhal(at)DAL.CA">Susan = Hall</A> </DIV> <DIV style=3D"FONT: 10pt arial"><B>To:</B> <A = title=3DAUDITORY(at)LISTS.MCGILL.CA=20 href=3D"mailto:AUDITORY(at)LISTS.MCGILL.CA">AUDITORY(at)LISTS.MCGILL.CA</A> = </DIV> <DIV style=3D"FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Sent:</B> Saturday, May 01, 2004 = 3:14=20 PM</DIV> <DIV style=3D"FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Subject:</B> infants and = pitch</DIV> <DIV><BR></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D+1>Annemarie Seither-Preisler = wrote:</FONT></DIV> <BLOCKQUOTE cite=3D"" type=3D"cite"><FONT face=3DArial size=3D+1>The = findings by=20 Saffran appear to be very revealing in this respect, showing that = young=20 infants at the age of 8 months, unlike adults, primarily rely on = absolute=20 pitch cues.</FONT></BLOCKQUOTE> <BLOCKQUOTE cite=3D"" type=3D"cite"><FONT face=3D"Times New Roman"=20 size=3D+1></FONT>&nbsp;</BLOCKQUOTE> <BLOCKQUOTE cite=3D"" type=3D"cite"><FONT face=3D"Courier New" = size=3D+1>Saffran, J.=20 R. &amp; Griepentrog, G. J. Absolute pitch in infant auditory = learning:=20 evidence for developmental reorganization. Dev Psychol 37, 74-85=20 (2001).</FONT></BLOCKQUOTE> <BLOCKQUOTE cite=3D"" type=3D"cite"><FONT face=3D"Courier New" = size=3D+1>Saffran, J.=20 R. Musical Learning and Language Development. Ann NY Acad Sci 999, = 397-401=20 (2003).</FONT></BLOCKQUOTE> <BLOCKQUOTE cite=3D"" type=3D"cite"><FONT face=3D"Times New Roman"=20 size=3D+1></FONT>&nbsp;</BLOCKQUOTE> <BLOCKQUOTE cite=3D"" type=3D"cite"><FONT face=3DArial size=3D+1>In = summary, these=20 results suggest that absolute pitch is a primary perceptual mode = that is=20 heavily superseded by relative pitch (probably in the course of = language=20 acquisition).&nbsp; Early musical training or learning a tonal = language like=20 Thai or Japanese may help to prevent this edging out-process, with = the=20 consequence that certain subjects retain the ability to perceive = absolute=20 pitch throughout life. Verbal categorizations of notes may be = helpful in=20 this respect, but it would be misleading to take them for the main=20 underlying cause.</FONT></BLOCKQUOTE> <DIV><BR></DIV> <DIV><BR></DIV> <DIV>A paper by Sandra Trehub suggests that infants are also sensitive = to=20 relative pitch:</DIV> <DIV><BR></DIV> <DIV><FONT color=3D#000000>Trehub SE (2001) Musical predispositions in = infancy.=20 Ann NY Acad Sci, 930: 1-16 2001.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT color=3D#000000><BR></FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT color=3D#000000><BR></FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT color=3D#000000>In searching for this ref, I just found = another of=20 Trehub's demonstrating the ability of non-musicians to discriminate = recordings=20 of instrumental themes from popular TV shows in their correct key, = from those=20 transposed up or down by only one or two semi-tones. They conclude = that=20 "Adults' reportedly poor memory for pitch is likely to be a by-product = of=20 their inability to name isolated pitches."</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT color=3D#000000><BR></FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT color=3D#000000>Schellenberg, EG and Trehub, SE (2003) Good = pitch=20 memory is widespread. Pyschological Science, 14 (3): = 262-266.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT color=3D#000000><BR></FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT color=3D#000000><BR></FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT color=3D#000000>Susan Hall</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT color=3D#000000>Dalhousie=20 University</FONT></DIV></BLOCKQUOTE></BODY></HTML> ------=_NextPart_000_013D_01C42F94.611B4960--


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