CAREER: Prediction and Reward in Auditory Statistical Learning

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Every human culture creates music, which drives a multi-billion-dollar industry worldwide. The societal impact is also important, as music is tightly linked to social bonding. For groups of individuals, making music together can promote empathy and cooperative behavior. The positive experience of music is known to depend, in part, on predictability (the knowledge of what comes next). However, little is known about how predictable musical features (e.g., melody, harmony, and rhythm) come to be rewarding. This CAREER award uses an unfamiliar tonal system to explore how people learn to respond to novel acoustic relationships. More generally, it evaluates the roles of prediction and reward in auditory learning.Previous work exploring how people learn to respond to structured sequences of auditory stimuli have exposed participants to novel features and then monitored changes in subjective ratings of reward value. However, even new compositions use familiar structural features, which activate a large knowledge base of predictions acquired implicitly throughout our lives. This poses a serious confound to the study of prediction and reward. To circumvent this challenge, the investigator will use a novel system, known as the Bohlen-Pierce scale. By exposing participants to novel, acoustically controlled sounds, the investigator can test whether reward value can be acquired solely from newly formed predictions. The investigator will also compare how typical listeners and listeners with one of two auditory/perceptual disorders (amusia and anhedonia) learn novel sound patterns. The overall aim is to understand the dual roles of repetition and variation of sound patterns in driving learning, memory, and reward. The work merges perceptual testing, functional MRI, and neuropsychological testing with sound design. These activities will be integrated with an educational plan to develop a unique Bachelor of Science degree program.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.