The heightened skills of musicians to pinpoint differences
If you are a musician, then you really do hear the world differently!
This study looked at expectation and prediction, and if musical training had any influence on the differences we hear. As a test, the researchers looked at melodies that didn’t finish in an expected or satisfying way. The researchers wondered if music training made musicians hear those endings differently. What they found is that not only do musicians perceive the two different types of endings differently, they can distinguish which type of ending it was. This ability to hear distinguishing differences could assist with creativity, problem solving and conflict.
These results show that while the perception of music is a relatively universal experience, musical training alters how humans perceive music. The brains of musicians distinguish between different types of musical irregularities that untrained listeners do not differentiate.
