In terms of the mirror neuron system, could an autistic response to the emotion in music have something to do with the physicality of music its self? In a lecture earlier in the year we discussed the possibility that the fear and panic reactions sent out by the amygdala are based upon the physical reactions which occur immediately when in the face of danger. In the same vein but potentially triggered my mirror neuronal responses: Is it possible that the physical movements involved in producing music help the autistic brain better understand the emotion present in the piece?
The article says that some autistic children have exceptional musical abilities. Have studies been done investigating whether people with autism tend to have more acute auditory abilities?
Given that this study is going to look at autistic and developmentally typical children without considering in advance if they have extraordinary music abilities, it would be interesting to also look at children--autistic and typical--who are preselected as having extraordinary music abilities.
One has to wonder if the instrumentation used in the various pieces will affect how children respond. I wonder if pieces played on a violin for instance will differ from those on a piano. Also I wonder if there is a difference between those pieces that use a full orchestra and those which are one or two instruments.
The most difficult problem in answering the question of how music creates emotions is likely to be the fact that assignments of musical elements and emotions can never be defined clearly. The solution of this problem is the Theory of Musical Equilibration. It says that music can't convey any emotion at all, but merely volitional processes, with which the music listener identifies. Then in the process of identifying the volitional processes are colored with emotions. The same happens when we watch an exciting film and identify with the volitional processes of our favorite figures. Here, too, just the process of identification generates emotions.
Because this detour of emotions via volitional processes was not detected, also all music psychological and neurological experiments, to answer the question of the origin of the emotions in the music, failed.
But how music can convey volitional processes? These volitional processes have something to do with the phenomena which early music theorists called "lead", "leading tone" or "striving effects". If we reverse this musical phenomena in imagination into its opposite (not the sound wants to change - but I want that the sound stays unchanged), then we have found the contents of will, the music listener identifies with. In practice, everything becomes a bit more complicated, so that even more sophisticated volitional processes can be represented musically.
Further information is available via the free download of the e-book "Music and Emotion - the Research on Musical Equilibration:
In terms of the mirror neuron system, could an autistic response to the emotion in music have something to do with the physicality of music its self? In a lecture earlier in the year we discussed the possibility that the fear and panic reactions sent out by the amygdala are based upon the physical reactions which occur immediately when in the face of danger. In the same vein but potentially triggered my mirror neuronal responses: Is it possible that the physical movements involved in producing music help the autistic brain better understand the emotion present in the piece?
ReplyDeleteThe article says that some autistic children have exceptional musical abilities. Have studies been done investigating whether people with autism tend to have more acute auditory abilities?
ReplyDeleteGiven that this study is going to look at autistic and developmentally typical children without considering in advance if they have extraordinary music abilities, it would be interesting to also look at children--autistic and typical--who are preselected as having extraordinary music abilities.
ReplyDeleteOne has to wonder if the instrumentation used in the various pieces will affect how children respond. I wonder if pieces played on a violin for instance will differ from those on a piano. Also I wonder if there is a difference between those pieces that use a full orchestra and those which are one or two instruments.
ReplyDeleteMusic and Emotions
ReplyDeleteThe most difficult problem in answering the question of how music creates emotions is likely to be the fact that assignments of musical elements and emotions can never be defined clearly. The solution of this problem is the Theory of Musical Equilibration. It says that music can't convey any emotion at all, but merely volitional processes, with which the music listener identifies. Then in the process of identifying the volitional processes are colored with emotions. The same happens when we watch an exciting film and identify with the volitional processes of our favorite figures. Here, too, just the process of identification generates emotions.
Because this detour of emotions via volitional processes was not detected, also all music psychological and neurological experiments, to answer the question of the origin of the emotions in the music, failed.
But how music can convey volitional processes? These volitional processes have something to do with the phenomena which early music theorists called "lead", "leading tone" or "striving effects". If we reverse this musical phenomena in imagination into its opposite (not the sound wants to change - but I want that the sound stays unchanged), then we have found the contents of will, the music listener identifies with. In practice, everything becomes a bit more complicated, so that even more sophisticated volitional processes can be represented musically.
Further information is available via the free download of the e-book "Music and Emotion - the Research on Musical Equilibration:
www.willimekmusic.de/music-and-emotions.pdf
Enjoy reading
Bernd Willimek