We asked a group of musically naı¨ve participants to perform a pitch comparison task, a different group of musically naı¨ve participants and a group of musicians to perform a musical instrument identification task on sounds having different pitch. A SMARC effect (i.e. high-frequency pitches favouring up responses and low-frequencies pitches favouring down responses) was present both when pitch was task relevant, and when it was task irrelevant. Moreover, when pitch height was task irrelevant, a horizontal mapping of pitches appeared for musicians only.
In conclusion, we found that a representational dimension (pitch height) influences performance with vertically aligned responses irrespective of its relevance to the task. This suggests that our cognitive system maps pitch onto a mental representation of space. Our results are thus consistent with studies pointing to the integral nature of spatial and spectral processing of auditory stimuli.
Spatial representation of pitch height: the SMARC effect
by Elena Rusconia, Bonnie Kwana, Bruno L. Giordanob, Carlo Umilta and Brian Butterwortha
http://www.mathematicalbrain.com/pdf/2005ERBKBGBB.PDF
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15925355
(sk)
音階は、空間として認識される。
人の 4% は音痴。その人たちは空間認識能力が低いという。
ウィキペディアによれば、
ということになるのだが、「球技や地図を見るのが得意な人は音痴でない」というように理解していいのだろうか。なんだか違う気がするのだけれど、「専門家」に言われると、反対するのも難しい。