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Prenatal “experience” and the phylogenesis and ontogenesis of music

Prenatal “experience” and the phylogenesis and ontogenesis of music. Richard Parncutt, University of Graz. Music & Science, Baden bei Wien, Austria, 1-4 October 2006. Music, the body and biology. Movement and dance (Trevarthen) Identity (Janata) Melody and speech (Koelsch)

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Prenatal “experience” and the phylogenesis and ontogenesis of music

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  1. Prenatal “experience” and the phylogenesis and ontogenesis of music Richard Parncutt, University of Graz Music & Science, Baden bei Wien, Austria, 1-4 October 2006

  2. Music, the body and biology • Movement and dance (Trevarthen) • Identity (Janata) • Melody and speech (Koelsch) • Rhythm and tempo (several…) • Emotion (several…) Why is music like this?

  3. Origins and definitions of music • A definition is necessary • to analytically explain origins • Every definition and theory of origins • assumes universals • is ethnocentric

  4. Music: A definition • an acoustic signal that • evokes recognizable patterns of sound, • implies physical movement, • is perceived as segmented and structured, • is meaningful, • is intentional wrt (b), (c), (d) or (e), and • is accepted by a cultural group

  5. Further musical universals • Exists in all known cultures • Has dedicated brain structures (Peretz) • Functions • social (communication, group, identity) • emotional (share/influence states) • religious (gods, spirits)

  6. Widespread musical structures • Themes and forms • call-answer (antecedent-consequent) • development (repetition, variation) • Melody • pitch and interval distributions (M2, P8, P5 etc.) • rise-fall phrases • Rhythm • pulse perception/production, entrainment • tempo distributions

  7. Origins of musicSome theories • Survival • mating (Darwin) • training (Roederer) • group survival • long-distance communication (Stumpf, 1911) • rhythmic work (Bücher, 1896; Hornbostel, 1912) • Extended vocalisation • from speech (Spencer, 1890) • "tumbling strains" (Sachs, 1962) • primate vocalisations (Wallin, 2000) • Imitation • Child’s drive to play • Movement, gesture, mimesis (Tolbert, 2001) • Environmental sounds (Cazden, 1951)

  8. Origins of musicTheoretical problems • Evolutionary adaptation vs “parasite” • Strong emotionality; spirituality, identity • Biological basis of structures • rhythm and walking/heartbeat • melody and speech • Roles of men vs women • What actually happened and why?

  9. Origins of music a new scenario • Fetus a) environmental sounds and movements b) perception c) classical conditioning d) communication with mother 2. Infant a) transnatal memory b) protomusical sensitivity c) communication with mother / adults d) operant conditioning 3. Child and adult reflective consciousness and culture

  10. Fetus a) Environmental sounds, movements Internal to mother’s body • vocalizations and breathing • heartbeat • body movements and footfalls • digestion All these sounds • are repetitive • depend on mother’s (emotional) state • are muffled (low-pass to about 2 kHz) External sounds • Only loud, mid-frequency sound

  11. Fetus b) Perception • Functioning cochlea and vestibule • from 20-24 weeks • both sound and motion • Myelinization of auditory pathways • from 24-28 weeks • improved neural transmission

  12. 1. Fetus c) Classical conditioning • Pavlov’s dog • Parncutt’s fetus Both are examples of • perceptual learning (Gibson) • without reflective awareness

  13. Classical conditioningPavlov‘s dog

  14. Classical conditioning of fetus (Spelt 1948; Hepper 1996)

  15. Classical conditioningParncutt‘s fetus

  16. Biochemical correlates of emotionExamples • fear • corticosteroids, e.g. glucocorticoids, e.g. cortisol • anger • high cortisol, adrenaline • low dopamine, serotonin • bonding • oxytocin

  17. Placental filtering • passes • nutrients and oxygen toward fetus • wastes and carbon dioxide away • fetal steroids since highly lipophilic • partly filters out • bacteria, viruses, toxins, drugs • chemicals like alcohol, nicotine, cocaine

  18. Brain-blood barrier • Protects brain from infection • Passes lipid-soluble molecules • O2, CO2, ethanol, steroid hormones • Steroid hormones include • glucocorticoids incl. cortisol • mineralocorticoids incl. aldosterone • sex steroids • androgens • estrogens • progestagens

  19. Fetus d) “Communication” with mother • Emotion, physical state • Physiological and behavioural • Survival value: bonding after birth

  20. 2. Infant a) Transnatal “memory” Babies “recognize” “melodies” heard repeatedly before birth (e.g. Hepper) This is not “memory” but • ontogenetic adaptation to prenatal environment • phylogenetic exaptation (Buss) • parasitic on prenatal audition/bonding Duration of “memory”: • Hepper: a few weeks • Lamont: one year?

  21. 2. Infant b) Protomusical sensitivity Infants are: • sensitive to musical structure • sensitive to musical emotion • more interested in singing than speech Trehub & Nakata (2001) Prenatal perceptual learning model: • heart/feet  rhythm, voice  melody • sound patterns depend on emotion • muffling emphasizes pitch contour

  22. 2. Infant c) Communication with adults Infant-adult vocal play (motherese) • is universal • promotes speech acquisition • involves meaningful gestures (Papousek) • may underlie (musical) ritual (Dissanayake) • projects prenatal learning into childhood

  23. 2. Infantd) Operant conditioning • Skinner’s rat • Parncutt’s baby Both are examples of • perceptual learning (Gibson) • without reflective awareness

  24. Operant conditioning Skinner: positive reinforcement Why does the rat push the lever?

  25. Operant conditioning:Motherese Why do mother and baby exchange physical/vocal gestures?

  26. 3. Child and adultReflective consciousness „Cultural explosion“ (Mithen) 100-50 kya • “conscious” use of symbols • painting, body decoration • social organisation • migration, ritual (e.g. burial)  Music asdeliberate creation of emotional sound patterns

  27. The origins of music3 stages A = adaptation, E = exaptation (parasite) 1. Fetus: Emotionality of pitch-time patterns A: Prenatal bonding and preparation for language E: Classical conditioning (sound-movement-emotion) 2. Infant: Motherese as protomusic A: Postnatal bonding and preparation for language E: Operant conditioning (sound-movement-emotion) 3. Children and adults: Music as we know it A: Reflective language and consciousness E: Music as deliberate emotional manipulation

  28. Thesis • Music is exaptive • a parasite on pre- and postnatal • bonding • preparation for language • Music mayalso be adaptive • trains individual cognitive and motor abilities • promotes social coherence

  29. If music has prenatal origins…Implications • Music and the body • The body is music’s origin • Music and biology • Biology underlies musical structures • Music, identity, spirituality • Music is a cultural elaboration of cognitive representation of mother as perceived by fetus

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