Cognitive factors shape brain networks for auditory skills: spotlight on auditory working memory
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Ann N Y Acad Sci 2012 April ; 1252(1): 100–107.Abstract: Musicians benefit from real-life advantages such as a greater ability to hear speech in noise and to
remember sounds, although the biological mechanisms driving such advantages remain
undetermined. Furthermore, the extent to which these advantages are a consequence of musical
training or innate characteristics that predispose a given individual to pursue music training is
often debated. Here, we examine biological underpinnings of musicians’ auditory advantages and
the mediating role of auditory working memory. Results from our laboratory are presented within
a framework that emphasizes auditory working memory as a major factor in the neural processing
of sound. Within this framework, we provide evidence for music training as a contributing source
of these abilities.
Musicians benefit from real-life advantages such as a greater ability to hear speech in noise and to
remember sounds, although the biological mechanisms driving such advantages remain
undetermined. Furthermore, the extent to which these advantages are a consequence of musical
training or innate characteristics that predispose a given individual to pursue music training is
often debated. Here, we examine biological underpinnings of musicians’ auditory advantages and
the mediating role of auditory working memory. Results from our laboratory are presented within
a framework that emphasizes auditory working memory as a major factor in the neural processing
of sound. Within this framework, we provide evidence for music training as a contributing source
of these abilities.