Sensory auditory processing and intuitive sound detection : an investigation of musical experts and nonexperts

The auditory system can detect occasional changes (deviants) in acoustic regularities without the need for subjects to focus their attention on the sound material. Deviant detection is reflected in the elicitation of the mismatch negativity component (MMN) of the event-related potentials. In the studies presented in this thesis, the MMN is used to investigate the auditory abilities for detecting similarities and regularities in sound streams. To investigate the limits of these processes, professional musicians have been tested in some of the studies. The results show that auditory grouping is already more advanced in musicians than in nonmusicians and that the auditory system of musicians can, unlike that of nonmusicians, detect a numerical regularity of always four tones in a series. These results suggest that sensory auditory processing in musicians is not only a fine tuning of universal abilities, but is also qualitatively more advanced than in nonmusicians. In addition, the relationship between the auditory change-detection function and perception is examined. It is shown that, contrary to the generally accepted view, MMN elicitation does not necessarily correlate with perception. The outcome of the auditory change-detection function can be implicit and the implicit knowledge of the sound structure can, after training, be utilized for behaviorally correct intuitive sound detection. These results illustrate the automatic character of the sensory change detection function.

Cortical processing of musical pitch as reflected by behavioural and electrophysiological evidence

In a musical context, the pitch of sounds is encoded according to domain-general principles not confined to music or even to audition overall but common to other perceptual and cognitive processes (such as multiple pattern encoding and feature integration), and to domain-specific and culture-specific properties related to a particular musical system only (such as the pitch steps of the Western tonal system). The studies included in this thesis shed light on the processing stages during which pitch encoding occurs on the basis of both domain-general and music-specific properties, and elucidate the putative brain mechanisms underlying pitch-related music perception. Study I showed, in subjects without formal musical education, that the pitch and timbre of multiple sounds are integrated as unified object representations in sensory memory before attentional intervention. Similarly, multiple pattern pitches are simultaneously maintained in non-musicians' sensory memory (Study II). These findings demonstrate the degree of sophistication of pitch processing at the sensory memory stage, requiring neither attention nor any special expertise of the subjects. Furthermore, music- and culture-specific properties, such as the pitch steps of the equal-tempered musical scale, are automatically discriminated in sensory memory even by subjects without formal musical education (Studies III and IV). The cognitive processing of pitch according to culture-specific musical-scale schemata hence occurs as early as at the sensory-memory stage of pitch analysis. Exposure and cortical plasticity seem to be involved in musical pitch encoding. For instance, after only one hour of laboratory training, the neural representations of pitch in the auditory cortex are altered (Study V). However, faulty brain mechanisms for attentive processing of fine-grained pitch steps lead to inborn deficits in music perception and recognition such as those encountered in congenital amusia (Study VI). These findings suggest that predispositions for exact pitch-step discrimination together with long-term exposure to music govern the acquisition of the automatized schematic knowledge of the music of a particular culture that even non-musicians possess.

The composer and conductor Leon Kopf holding a musical score Portraits Men

Kopf conducted the Jewish People’s Philharmonic Chorus, New York from 1948-1952

Correlación entre la personalidad y los factores de la Teoría del Comportamiento Planeado (TCP) en adolescentes escolarizados de 11-19 años del Caribe Colombiano

The increasing rate of pregnancies in teenagers and the high incident of the infections of sexual transmission (HIV/ AIDS, for example), these are health related issues (and especially the sexual and reproductive health), which have received great attention on the part of investigators and of the public opinion in general. Recently, there has been evidenced that teenagers carry out very easily risk sexual behaviors, and those who have not presented the above mentioned behaviors also show high levels of intention to carry out them. There is the hypothesis that besides cognitive variables such as attitudes, subjective norms, perceived behavioral control and intention, the personality of the young persons is an aspect that plays an important paper in their sexual and reproductive health. Significant correlations were found between the variales of the TPB and the personality traits; the results suggest that the direction of these correlations is associated with the specific type of behavior or situation that is assessed. Keywords: personality, theory of planned behavior, adolescents, reproductive sexuality.

Musical program

Musical program for inmates of Home for Aged and Infirm Hebrews, black ink on white paper, 4 pages.

Carrie the Musical

When Carrie the Musical first debuted in 1988 it (in)famously closed eight days later, earning the dubious title of being one of the biggest flops in the history of Broadway. This revived version of the work, the Queensland premiere of the production, presented at the Brisbane Powerhouse in January 2016, was a calculated experiment in the commercialisation of an historical flop into a contemporary success. Through collaboration between some of Brisbane's most promising young creatives, designers, choreographers musicians and performers, this production became one of the Brisbane Powerhouse's most successful shows and gained local, national and international recognition for its achievements. By pushing the boundaries of the most current trends in contemporary Australian directing and performance making, the creative team was able to draw on their innovative capacity as independent theatre makers to turn a once-maligned work into a modern-day financial and critical success.

El teponaztli en la tradición musical mexica

Lecture about the teponaztli (a specific type of slit drum), traditionally used by the Aztec (or Mexica) people, and its associated repertoire. Special attention is paid to the usage of this instrument in the Cantares Mexicanos (a song compilation from the 16th century) accompaniment.

On Musical Self-Similarity : Intersemiosis as Synecdoche and Analogy

Self-similarity, a concept taken from mathematics, is gradually becoming a keyword in musicology. Although a polysemic term, self-similarity often refers to the multi-scalar feature repetition in a set of relationships, and it is commonly valued as an indication for musical coherence and consistency . This investigation provides a theory of musical meaning formation in the context of intersemiosis, that is, the translation of meaning from one cognitive domain to another cognitive domain (e.g. from mathematics to music, or to speech or graphic forms). From this perspective, the degree of coherence of a musical system relies on a synecdochic intersemiosis: a system of related signs within other comparable and correlated systems. This research analyzes the modalities of such correlations, exploring their general and particular traits, and their operational bounds. Looking forward in this direction, the notion of analogy is used as a rich concept through its two definitions quoted by the Classical literature: proportion and paradigm, enormously valuable in establishing measurement, likeness and affinity criteria. Using quantitative qualitative methods, evidence is presented to justify a parallel study of different modalities of musical self-similarity. For this purpose, original arguments by Benoît B. Mandelbrot are revised, alongside a systematic critique of the literature on the subject. Furthermore, connecting Charles S. Peirce s synechism with Mandelbrot s fractality is one of the main developments of the present study. This study provides elements for explaining Bolognesi s (1983) conjecture, that states that the most primitive, intuitive and basic musical device is self-reference, extending its functions and operations to self-similar surfaces. In this sense, this research suggests that, with various modalities of self-similarity, synecdochic intersemiosis acts as system of systems in coordination with greater or lesser development of structural consistency, and with a greater or lesser contextual dependence.

La Teoría Crítica de la Tecnología y el diseño asistido por valores

Objetivo y metodología: Dentro del perfil buscado por la Universidad Católica Argentina para sus Ingenieros Industriales se encuentran, entre otras, las siguientes cualidades distintivas: “Entenderá que la Ingeniería es una profesión creativa e innovadora que, combinando la ciencia y la tecnología, junto con la economía, la administración y la sociología, se propone tratar y resolver problemas integrando todos los elementos involucrados y buscando, dentro de un marco ético, la mejor solución en beneficio de la calidad de vida del hombre y de la sociedad.”/.../ El análisis de este caso se enmarcara dentro de la Teoría Crítica de la Tecnología y el concepto de “código técnico”, observando cómo estos códigos actúan de manera oculta o invisible, estratificando valores e intereses en normas, reglas, criterios y procedimientos. En cuanto a este último punto, se presentará el Value Sensitive Design (VSD) o Diseño por Valores, una metodología de diseño que actualmente asoma como una luz de esperanza para la integración de los valores a los desarrollos tecnológicos e ingenieriles...

Intento explicativo de la teoría austriaca del ciclo y de su relación con conceptos ampliamente aceptados en las finanzas de la empresa y en la economía ortodoxa

Introducción: En el párrafo que citamos, de Sir John R. Hicks, el economista británico reconoce la importancia de tener un abordaje del proceso económico y de las situaciones de desajuste que influyen en su marcha, desde una posición que considere la importancia del capital, el tiempo, y el rol preponderante de la tasa de interés. Que tenga, asimismo, en consideración toda la dinámica del fenómeno de formación de capital y de elección entre distintos sistemas de producción. Ya antes había manifestado: “¿Qué determina el equilibrio de corto plazo de un sistema cerrado, cuando se le concibe no solo en términos de gustos y recursos, sino en términos de planes y expectativas, orientado hacia el futuro que queda fuera del período en cuestión?” (2) Pero: ¿Por qué este interés en analizar el proceso de elección de sistemas de producción y de formación de capital desde una visión dinámica y considerando el punto de vista de los comerciantes, o tomadores de decisión en la economía, es decir, si se prefiere, de los empresarios? ¿De donde surge esta idea? El subtitulo del libro citado en el epígrafe nos puede dar una pista

Una aproximación al concepto de “razón de estado” en Giovanni Botero desde la teoría política de Carl Schmitt

Resumen: El trabajo se propone analizar la conceptualización del término “razón de Estado” en el teólogo piamontés Giovanni Botero a la luz de las teorías políticas de Carl Schmitt. En especial se hará hincapié en la aparición dentro del pensamiento de Botero de conceptos que luego Schmitt caracterizará como esenciales en la conformación del Estado Moderno, entre los cuales están el de soberanía, la idea del enemigo político, y la conformación de un orden frente a la existencia de un estado de excepción. Principalmente se busca usar estos conceptos schmittianos como marco teórico para entender cómo Botero intentó definir el concepto de “razón de Estado” frente a las problemáticas políticas, sociales y religiosas que se producían a fines del siglo XVI.