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Di Stefano N, Spence C. Should absolute pitch be considered as a unique kind of absolute sensory judgment in humans? A systematic and theoretical review of the literature. Cognition 2024; 249:105805. [PMID: 38761646 DOI: 10.1016/j.cognition.2024.105805] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/03/2023] [Revised: 04/12/2024] [Accepted: 04/23/2024] [Indexed: 05/20/2024]
Abstract
Absolute pitch is the name given to the rare ability to identify a musical note in an automatic and effortless manner without the need for a reference tone. Those individuals with absolute pitch can, for example, name the note they hear, identify all of the tones of a given chord, and/or name the pitches of everyday sounds, such as car horns or sirens. Hence, absolute pitch can be seen as providing a rare example of absolute sensory judgment in audition. Surprisingly, however, the intriguing question of whether such an ability presents unique features in the domain of sensory perception, or whether instead similar perceptual skills also exist in other sensory domains, has not been explicitly addressed previously. In this paper, this question is addressed by systematically reviewing research on absolute pitch using the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) method. Thereafter, we compare absolute pitch with two rare types of sensory experience, namely synaesthesia and eidetic memory, to understand if and how these phenomena exhibit similar features to absolute pitch. Furthermore, a common absolute perceptual ability that has been often compared to absolute pitch, namely colour perception, is also discussed. Arguments are provided supporting the notion that none of the examined abilities can be considered like absolute pitch. Therefore, we conclude by suggesting that absolute pitch does indeed appear to constitute a unique kind of absolute sensory judgment in humans, and we discuss some open issues and novel directions for future research in absolute pitch.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicola Di Stefano
- Institute of Cognitive Sciences and Technologies, National Research Council of Italy (CNR), Via Gian Domenico Romagnosi, 18, 00196 Rome, Italy.
| | - Charles Spence
- Crossmodal Research Laboratory, Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
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Davenport CM, Teubner BJW, Han SB, Patton MH, Eom TY, Garic D, Lansdell BJ, Shirinifard A, Chang TC, Klein J, Pruett-Miller SM, Blundon JA, Zakharenko SS. Innate frequency-discrimination hyperacuity in Williams-Beuren syndrome mice. Cell 2022; 185:3877-3895.e21. [PMID: 36152627 PMCID: PMC9588278 DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2022.08.022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2022] [Revised: 06/14/2022] [Accepted: 08/24/2022] [Indexed: 01/26/2023]
Abstract
Williams-Beuren syndrome (WBS) is a rare disorder caused by hemizygous microdeletion of ∼27 contiguous genes. Despite neurodevelopmental and cognitive deficits, individuals with WBS have spared or enhanced musical and auditory abilities, potentially offering an insight into the genetic basis of auditory perception. Here, we report that the mouse models of WBS have innately enhanced frequency-discrimination acuity and improved frequency coding in the auditory cortex (ACx). Chemogenetic rescue showed frequency-discrimination hyperacuity is caused by hyperexcitable interneurons in the ACx. Haploinsufficiency of one WBS gene, Gtf2ird1, replicated WBS phenotypes by downregulating the neuropeptide receptor VIPR1. VIPR1 is reduced in the ACx of individuals with WBS and in the cerebral organoids derived from human induced pluripotent stem cells with the WBS microdeletion. Vipr1 deletion or overexpression in ACx interneurons mimicked or reversed, respectively, the cellular and behavioral phenotypes of WBS mice. Thus, the Gtf2ird1-Vipr1 mechanism in ACx interneurons may underlie the superior auditory acuity in WBS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher M Davenport
- Department of Developmental Neurobiology, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN 38105, USA
| | - Brett J W Teubner
- Department of Developmental Neurobiology, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN 38105, USA
| | - Seung Baek Han
- Department of Developmental Neurobiology, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN 38105, USA
| | - Mary H Patton
- Department of Developmental Neurobiology, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN 38105, USA
| | - Tae-Yeon Eom
- Department of Developmental Neurobiology, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN 38105, USA
| | - Dusan Garic
- Department of Developmental Neurobiology, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN 38105, USA
| | - Benjamin J Lansdell
- Department of Developmental Neurobiology, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN 38105, USA
| | - Abbas Shirinifard
- Department of Developmental Neurobiology, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN 38105, USA
| | - Ti-Cheng Chang
- Center for Applied Bioinformatics, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN 38105, USA
| | - Jonathon Klein
- Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN 38105, USA
| | - Shondra M Pruett-Miller
- Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN 38105, USA
| | - Jay A Blundon
- Department of Developmental Neurobiology, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN 38105, USA
| | - Stanislav S Zakharenko
- Department of Developmental Neurobiology, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN 38105, USA.
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Fagundes Silva LA, Honjo Kawahira RS, Kim CA, Matas CG. Abnormal auditory event-related potentials in Williams syndrome. Eur J Med Genet 2021; 64:104163. [PMID: 33571693 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejmg.2021.104163] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/19/2020] [Revised: 01/05/2021] [Accepted: 02/04/2021] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
Individuals with Williams Syndrome (WS) have specific auditory characteristics, including hypoacusis and hyperacusis, and music appreciation skills. Little is known about the functionality of the central auditory nervous system (CANS) for sound processing in WS. Thus, the objective of the present study was to evaluate the functionality of the CANS in individuals with WS, based on auditory event-related potentials, as far as cognitive and behavioral aspects are concerned. The study was carried out with 17 individuals, seven females and ten males, between seven and 17 years old, with WS, and 17 individuals with typical development matched by sex and chronological age to individuals with WS. None of these individuals had middle ear impairment or hearing loss. The subjects were evaluated for intelligence quotient, loudness discomfort level, and auditory event-related potentials with Tone Burst stimuli, on the oddball paradigm; the parents also answered the MTA-SNAP-IV questionnaire. Hyperacusis was found in six WS individuals and two individuals with typical development. In the present study, WS individuals present longer latency and reduced amplitude for P1, N1, N2 and P3 components. These results, suggesting a delay and hypoactive responses of the CANS in this syndrome, that cannot be related to the cognitive or behavioral aspects of these individuals, but it indicates a cortical immaturity to process acoustic stimuli.
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Affiliation(s)
- Liliane Aparecida Fagundes Silva
- Department of Audiology and Speech Therapy, Physiotherapy and Occupational Therapy, University of Sao Paulo Medical School, Sao Paulo, SP, Brazil.
| | - Rachel Sayuri Honjo Kawahira
- Unit of Genetic, Children's Institute of Hospital of Clinics, University of Sao Paulo Medical School, Sao Paulo, SP, Brazil
| | - Chong Ae Kim
- Unit of Genetic, Children's Institute of Hospital of Clinics, University of Sao Paulo Medical School, Sao Paulo, SP, Brazil
| | - Carla Gentile Matas
- Department of Audiology and Speech Therapy, Physiotherapy and Occupational Therapy, University of Sao Paulo Medical School, Sao Paulo, SP, Brazil
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Kitamura Y, Kita Y, Okumura Y, Kaga Y, Okuzumi H, Ishikawa Y, Nakamura M, Inagaki M. Discrepancy between musical ability and language skills in children with Williams syndrome. Brain Dev 2020; 42:248-255. [PMID: 31917008 DOI: 10.1016/j.braindev.2019.12.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/17/2019] [Revised: 12/10/2019] [Accepted: 12/10/2019] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Children with Williams syndrome (WS) show a marked interest in music, a characteristic often explored in clinical settings. However, the actual musical abilities of patients with WS remain debatable due to some of the relevant data being derived from experimental tasks that require a verbal response, despite the known language impairments in WS. The present study aimed to examine musical ability in children with WS using a newly invented pitch discrimination task with minimal involvement of language and clarify its relationship with language skill. METHODS Eleven children with WS participated in the study. We used a novel pitch discrimination task that required minimal language use. Two piano tones were presented sequentially, and children were asked to give a non-verbal response as to whether the second tone was higher than, lower than, or the same as the first tone. RESULTS Pitch discrimination performance in children with WS was lower than the level predicted for their chronological age (CA), even in the non-verbal task. Pitch discrimination ability and verbal mental age (VMA) were shown to be dissociated, such that children with WS with a lower skill level for language showed an unexpectedly higher level of pitch discrimination ability and vice versa. CONCLUSIONS Our results indicated reduced musical ability with respect to CA in children with WS. The dissociation between musical ability and language skills may indicate unique developmental relationships that differ from those in normal children. These findings provide new evidence to support the importance of assessing actual musical ability in WS prior to implementing interventional music therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuzuki Kitamura
- Graduate School of Education, Tokyo Gakugei University, Japan; Department of Developmental Disorders, National Institute of Mental Health, National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry (NCNP), Japan.
| | - Yosuke Kita
- Department of Developmental Disorders, National Institute of Mental Health, National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry (NCNP), Japan; Cognitive Brain Research Unit (CBRU), Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, Finland
| | - Yasuko Okumura
- Department of Developmental Disorders, National Institute of Mental Health, National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry (NCNP), Japan; Research Fellow of the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, Japan
| | - Yoshimi Kaga
- Department of Developmental Disorders, National Institute of Mental Health, National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry (NCNP), Japan
| | | | - Yuji Ishikawa
- Faculty of Education, Tokyo Gakugei University, Japan
| | | | - Masumi Inagaki
- Department of Developmental Disorders, National Institute of Mental Health, National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry (NCNP), Japan
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Wenhart T, Bethlehem RAI, Baron-Cohen S, Altenmüller E. Autistic traits, resting-state connectivity, and absolute pitch in professional musicians: shared and distinct neural features. Mol Autism 2019; 10:20. [PMID: 31073395 PMCID: PMC6498518 DOI: 10.1186/s13229-019-0272-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/30/2018] [Accepted: 04/12/2019] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Recent studies indicate increased autistic traits in musicians with absolute pitch and a higher proportion of absolute pitch in people with autism. Theoretical accounts connect both of these with shared neural principles of local hyper- and global hypoconnectivity, enhanced perceptual functioning, and a detail-focused cognitive style. This is the first study to investigate absolute pitch proficiency, autistic traits, and brain correlates in the same study. Sample and methods Graph theoretical analysis was conducted on resting-state (eyes closed and eyes open) EEG connectivity (wPLI, weighted phase lag index) matrices obtained from 31 absolute pitch (AP) and 33 relative pitch (RP) professional musicians. Small-worldness, global clustering coefficient, and average path length were related to autistic traits, passive (tone identification) and active (pitch adjustment) absolute pitch proficiency, and onset of musical training using Welch two-sample tests, correlations, and general linear models. Results Analyses revealed increased path length (delta 2–4 Hz), reduced clustering (beta 13–18 Hz), reduced small-worldness (gamma 30–60 Hz), and increased autistic traits for AP compared to RP. Only clustering values (beta 13–18 Hz) were predicted by both AP proficiency and autistic traits. Post hoc single connection permutation tests among raw wPLI matrices in the beta band (13–18 Hz) revealed widely reduced interhemispheric connectivity between bilateral auditory-related electrode positions along with higher connectivity between F7–F8 and F8–P9 for AP. Pitch-naming ability and pitch adjustment ability were predicted by path length, clustering, autistic traits, and onset of musical training (for pitch adjustment) explaining 44% and 38% of variance, respectively. Conclusions Results show both shared and distinct neural features between AP and autistic traits. Differences in the beta range were associated with higher autistic traits in the same population. In general, AP musicians exhibit a widely underconnected brain with reduced functional integration and reduced small-world property during resting state. This might be partly related to autism-specific brain connectivity, while differences in path length and small-worldness reflect other ability-specific influences. This is further evidenced for different pathways in the acquisition and development of absolute pitch, likely influenced by both genetic and environmental factors and their interaction.
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Affiliation(s)
- T Wenhart
- Institute of Music Physiology and Musicians' Medicine, University for Music, Drama and Media, Hannover, Germany.,2Center for Systems Neuroscience, Hannover, Germany
| | - R A I Bethlehem
- 3Autism Research Center, Department of Psychiatry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - S Baron-Cohen
- 3Autism Research Center, Department of Psychiatry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - E Altenmüller
- Institute of Music Physiology and Musicians' Medicine, University for Music, Drama and Media, Hannover, Germany.,2Center for Systems Neuroscience, Hannover, Germany
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Thakur D, Martens MA, Smith DS, Roth E. Williams Syndrome and Music: A Systematic Integrative Review. Front Psychol 2018; 9:2203. [PMID: 30487769 PMCID: PMC6246687 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2018.02203] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/21/2018] [Accepted: 10/24/2018] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Background: Researchers and clinicians have often cited a strong relationship between individuals with Williams syndrome (WS) and music. This review systematically identified, analyzed, and synthesized research findings related to WS and music. Methods: Thirty-one articles were identified that examined this relationship and were divided into seven areas. This process covered a diverse array of methodologies, with aims to: (1) report current findings; (2) assess methodological quality; and (3) discuss the potential implications and considerations for the clinical use of music with this population. Results: Results indicate that individuals with WS demonstrate a high degree of variability in skill and engagement in music, presenting with musical skills that are more in line with their cognitive abilities than chronological age (CA). Musical strengths for this population appear to be based more in musicality and expressivity than formal musical skills, which are expressed through a heightened interest in music, a greater propensity toward musical activities, and a heightened emotional responsiveness to music. Individuals with WS seem to conserve the overall structure of musical phrases better than they can discriminate or reproduce them exactly. The affinity for music often found in this population may be rooted in atypical auditory processing, autonomic irregularities, and differential neurobiology. Conclusions: More studies are needed to explore how this affinity for music can be harnessed in clinical and educational interventions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Donovon Thakur
- Department of Music Therapy, School of Music, Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo, MI, United States
| | - Marilee A Martens
- Department of Behavioral Health, Child Development Center, Nationwide Children's Hospital, Columbus, OH, United States.,Department of Pediatrics, College of Medicine, The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, Columbus, OH, United States
| | - David S Smith
- Department of Music Therapy, School of Music, Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo, MI, United States
| | - Ed Roth
- Brain Research and Interdisciplinary Neurosciences Laboratory, School of Music, Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo, MI, United States
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Martínez-Castilla P, Rodríguez M, Campos R. Developmental trajectories of pitch-related music skills in children with Williams syndrome. RESEARCH IN DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITIES 2016; 51-52:23-39. [PMID: 26773694 DOI: 10.1016/j.ridd.2016.01.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/12/2015] [Revised: 11/19/2015] [Accepted: 01/04/2016] [Indexed: 06/05/2023]
Abstract
The study of music cognition in Williams syndrome (WS) has resulted in theoretical debates regarding cognitive modularity and development. However, no research has previously investigated the development of music skills in this population. In this study, we used the cross-sectional developmental trajectories approach to assess the development of pitch-related music skills in children with WS compared with typically developing (TD) peers. Thus, we evaluated the role of change over time on pitch-related music skills and the developmental relationships between music skills and different cognitive areas. In the TD children, the pitch-related music skills improved with chronological age and cognitive development. In the children with WS, developmental relationships were only found between several pitch-related music skills and specific cognitive processes. We also found non-systematic relationships between chronological age and the pitch-related music skills, stabilization in the level reached in music when cognitive development was considered, and uneven associations between cognitive and music skills. In addition, the TD and WS groups differed in their patterns of pitch-related music skill development. These results suggest that the development of pitch-related music skills in children with WS is atypical. Our findings stand in contrast with the views that claim innate modularity for music in WS; rather, they are consistent with neuroconstructivist accounts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pastora Martínez-Castilla
- Department of Developmental and Educational Psychology, Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia (UNED), Madrid, Spain.
| | - Manuel Rodríguez
- Department of Developmental and Educational Psychology, Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia (UNED), Madrid, Spain.
| | - Ruth Campos
- Department of Basic Psychology, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid (UAM), Madrid, Spain.
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Zarchi O, Avni C, Attias J, Frisch A, Carmel M, Michaelovsky E, Green T, Weizman A, Gothelf D. Hyperactive auditory processing in Williams syndrome: Evidence from auditory evoked potentials. Psychophysiology 2015; 52:782-9. [DOI: 10.1111/psyp.12407] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/04/2014] [Accepted: 12/03/2014] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Omer Zarchi
- Behavioral Neurogenetics Center; The Edmond and Lily Safra Children's Hospital, Sheba Medical Center; Tel Hashomer Israel
- Institute for Clinical Neurophysiology and Audiology; Rabin Medical Center and Schneider Children's Medical Center; Petah Tikva Israel
- Sackler Faculty of Medicine; Tel Aviv University; Tel Aviv Israel
| | - Chen Avni
- Sackler Faculty of Medicine; Tel Aviv University; Tel Aviv Israel
| | - Josef Attias
- Institute for Clinical Neurophysiology and Audiology; Rabin Medical Center and Schneider Children's Medical Center; Petah Tikva Israel
- Department of Communication Sciences & Disorders; Haifa University; Haifa Israel
| | - Amos Frisch
- Sackler Faculty of Medicine; Tel Aviv University; Tel Aviv Israel
- Biochemical Genetics Laboratory; Felsenstein Medical Research Center; Petah Tikva Israel
| | - Miri Carmel
- Sackler Faculty of Medicine; Tel Aviv University; Tel Aviv Israel
- Biochemical Genetics Laboratory; Felsenstein Medical Research Center; Petah Tikva Israel
| | - Elena Michaelovsky
- Biochemical Genetics Laboratory; Felsenstein Medical Research Center; Petah Tikva Israel
| | - Tamar Green
- Sackler Faculty of Medicine; Tel Aviv University; Tel Aviv Israel
- Nes-Ziyyona-Beer Yaakov Mental Health Center; Nes-Ziyyona Israel
| | - Abraham Weizman
- Sackler Faculty of Medicine; Tel Aviv University; Tel Aviv Israel
- Biochemical Genetics Laboratory; Felsenstein Medical Research Center; Petah Tikva Israel
- Research Unit; Geha Mental Health Center; Petah Tikva Israel
| | - Doron Gothelf
- Behavioral Neurogenetics Center; The Edmond and Lily Safra Children's Hospital, Sheba Medical Center; Tel Hashomer Israel
- Sackler Faculty of Medicine; Tel Aviv University; Tel Aviv Israel
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Martínez-Castilla P, Sotillo M. Pitch Processing in Children with Williams Syndrome: Relationships between Music and Prosody Skills. Brain Sci 2014; 4:376-95. [PMID: 24961767 PMCID: PMC4101483 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci4020376] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/31/2013] [Revised: 02/17/2014] [Accepted: 05/05/2014] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Williams syndrome (WS), a genetic neurodevelopmental disorder, has been taken as evidence that music and language constitute separate modules. This research focused on the linguistic component of prosody and aimed to assess whether relationships exist between the pitch processing mechanisms for music and prosody in WS. Children with WS and typically developing individuals were presented with a musical pitch and two prosody discrimination tasks. In the musical pitch discrimination task, participants were required to distinguish whether two musical tones were the same or different. The prosody discrimination tasks evaluated participants' skills for discriminating pairs of prosodic contours based on pitch or pitch, loudness and length, jointly. In WS, musical pitch discrimination was significantly correlated with performance on the prosody task assessing the discrimination of prosodic contours based on pitch only. Furthermore, musical pitch discrimination skills predicted performance on the prosody task based on pitch, and this relationship was not better explained by chronological age, vocabulary or auditory memory. These results suggest that children with WS process pitch in music and prosody through shared mechanisms. We discuss the implications of these results for theories of cognitive modularity. The implications of these results for intervention programs for individuals with WS are also discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pastora Martínez-Castilla
- Department of Developmental and Educational Psychology, National Distance Education University (UNED), C/Juan del Rosal, n°10, 28040 Madrid, Spain.
| | - María Sotillo
- Department of Basic Psychology, Autonomous University of Madrid, C/Iván Paulov, n°6, 28049 Madrid, Spain.
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Jobling MA. The music of the genes. INVESTIGATIVE GENETICS 2014; 5:2. [PMID: 24461062 PMCID: PMC3901330 DOI: 10.1186/2041-2223-5-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/13/2014] [Accepted: 01/13/2014] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Mark A Jobling
- Department of Genetics, University of Leicester, University Road, Leicester LE1 7RH, UK.
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Martínez-Castilla P, García-Nogales MÁ, Campos R, Rodríguez M. Environmental sound recognition by timbre in children with Williams syndrome. Child Neuropsychol 2014; 21:90-105. [PMID: 24428369 DOI: 10.1080/09297049.2013.876492] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
Abstract
Anecdotal reports have described children with Williams syndrome (WS) as presenting outstanding skills for recognizing environmental sounds by their timbre. This has led to suggest that the skills for environmental sound recognition by timbre are highly developed in WS. Furthermore, the term hypertimbria has been proposed to refer to this feature. However, no academic research has assessed these skills in WS. This study therefore aimed to contrast the reports on the highly developed skills for environmental sound recognition by timbre in children with WS. An environmental sound recognition task was administered to children with WS, children with Down syndrome of the same chronological age and cognitive level, and chronological age-matched typically developing children. Participants with WS performed significantly lower than their typically developing peers and no significant differences were found between the WS and Down syndrome groups. Unlike previous reports, this study points out that in WS environmental sound recognition by timbre does not constitute a phenotypic strength either in absolute or relative terms. Results suggest that children with WS do not present hypertimbria or preserved skills for timbre recognition. We discuss the implications of these results for theories of cognitive modularity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pastora Martínez-Castilla
- a Department of Developmental and Educational Psychology, Faculty of Psychology , Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia , Madrid , Spain
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