Musical Illusions
Musical Illusions Diana Deutsch Department of Psychology University of California, San Diego La Jolla, CA 92093 ddeutsch@ucsd.edu In Squire, L. (Ed.) New Encyclopedia of Neuroscience, (Oxford, Elsevier, in press) Author information: Name and affiliation to appear in published work: Diana Deutsch, Professor of Psychology, University of California, San Diego Full address: Professor Diana Deutsch Department of Psychology University of California, San Diego 9500 Gilman Dr. #0109 La Jolla, CA 92093-0109, USA 2 keywords and phrases for indexing: glissando illusion handendness illusion individual differences language modularity music musical illusions octave illusion perception plasticity scale illusion speech tritone paradox 3 Synopsis Musical illusions are explored, and their implications for brain function are discussed. There are striking variations across listeners in perception of these illusions. For certain illusions, perceptual differences correlate with handedness, indicating that they reflect variations in innate brain organization. For another illusion, perceptual differences correlate with the language or dialect to which the listener was exposed, particularly early in life, so pointing to an influence of early exposure to speech sounds on how music is perceived. Implications of the illusions for modularity of function are discussed. 4 Musical Illusions D Deutsch, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA Introduction Over the last decade, there have been significant advances in understanding the brain mechanisms underlying music perception. Functional imaging studies of normal individuals have provided considerable information concerning the anatomical structures involved. Studies of patients with musical deficits resulting from brain lesions have supplied much complementary information, as have studies of individuals with congenital amusia. Investigations of musical illusions – misperceptions of music by normal individuals – provide further insights into the brain circuitry underlying music perception.
[Show full text]