How Surface Features of Sounds Influence Memory for Global Auditory Patterns

这个项目调查了外显记忆中与年龄相关的变化，外显记忆指的是对信息或经历的有意识回忆。外显记忆包含一个潜在的抽象概念或主旨（例如，单词、想法或旋律），以及表面特征（例如，音节、音高、响度）。拟议的研究将使用音乐模式来调查声音模式的表面特征（如特定的声音或乐器）与这些模式的整体特征（如旋律）的记忆之间的关系。三个实验将比较成人、学龄儿童和婴儿对最初听到的声音或用不同乐器演奏的旋律的记忆。原则上，特定的音质（声音或各种乐器）可能会导致比其他声音更持久的心理表征，因为它们对动机、情绪、意象或运动激活的影响。由于幼儿时期的声音非常突出，各种音质的后果与年龄相关的差异是可以预料的。两个进一步的实验将确定当声音质量（声音或乐器）在初次接触和随后的识别测试之间发生变化时，成人和儿童对先前听到的旋律的识别是否会受到不利影响。尽管对这个问题进行了初步研究，但没有考虑到声音和非声音的编码和存储可能存在重要差异。后续研究将考虑声音质量对言语材料记忆的影响。这个研究项目的结果有望增加我们对听觉记忆的理解，并阐明在整个生命周期中优化学习的潜在方法，但最重要的是在早期。

This project investigates age-related changes in explicit memory, which refers to the conscious recollection of information or experiences. An explicit memory contains an underlying abstraction, or gist (e.g., word, idea, or melody), as well as surface characteristics (e.g., syllable, pitch, loudness). The proposed research will use musical patterns to investigate relations between surface features of sound patterns such as specific voices or instruments and memory for global features of those patterns such as melodies. Three experiments will compare adults', school-age children's, and infants' memory for melodies that were initially heard vocally or played on different instruments. In principle, specific sound qualities (voices or various instruments) could lead to mental representations that are more enduring than others by virtue of their effects on motivation, mood, imagery, or motor activation. Age-related differences in the consequences of various sound qualities are expected because of the enormous salience of the voice in early childhood. Two further experiments will ascertain whether adults' and children's recognition of previously heard melodies is affected adversely when the sound quality (voice or instrument) changes between initial exposure and subsequent recognition testing. Despite preliminary research on this question, there has been no consideration of the possibility of important differences in the encoding and storage of vocal and non-vocal sounds. Follow-up research will consider the effects of sound quality on memory for verbal material. The results of this research program are expected to increase our understanding of auditory memory and to shed light on potential means of optimizing learning throughout the lifespan, but most especially in the early years.