Working memory as a mechanism underlying transfer and maintenance of skills acquired through music training

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Music, by virtue of the extra-ordinary demands it places on several important cognitive functions (e.g. working memory, auditory analysis, visual-auditory-motor integration, etc.), is an excellent candidate as a training paradigm to examine transfer effects both within the same domain (i.e., "near transfer") and across different domains (i.e., "far transfer"). Indeed, a growing number of studies have reported correlations between music training and improvements on a variety of cognitive measures including verbal IQ, working memory, and language skills, providing evidence for far transfer. However, the mechanisms mediating or underlying these associations are mostly unknown (Moreno, 2009). Moreno et al. (2011) suggested that improvements in executive functions (EF), such as working memory (WM), might play a role in the processes of far transfer. Several studies have supported a link between music expertise and WM (e.g., Bidelman et al., 2013; Chan et al., 1998; Ho et al., 2003; Pallesen et al., 2010; Parbery-Clark et al., 2011; see review in Moreno & Bidelman, 2013). However, the causal effect of musical training on WM and other cognitive functions remains unclear. The overall goal of my research program is to examine the role of musical expertise and musical training on brain plasticity and the mechanisms underlying far transfer over the lifespan. This broad goal is divided into three aims: 1) to determine the influence of music expertise on WM with respect to behavioural and brain function; 2) to determine the causal effects of music training on WM by using a longitudinal musical training intervention; and 3) to investigate the role of WM and other EFs in transfer via mediation analysis. This novel program of research will provide a better understanding of the influence of life experiences (i.e., music training) on cognition and the brain's adaptability. This research may have widespread influence in education by exploring the relationship between engagement in enriched cognitive activities (such as musical training) and underlying mechanisms critical for learning.