Enhancing Auditory Spatial Perception through Music: Interplay Between Musical Aptitude and Training
Abstract
Background and aim: Musicians can detect changes in minute aspects including pitch, timing, and loudness, all of which assist in auditory spatial perception. This study hypothesized that non-musicians with musical aptitude might display spatial skills comparable to trained musicians, and superior to non-musicians without musical aptitude.
Methods: To test this hypothesis, we considered 101 participants in three groups: musicians (n=33, trained in classical music), non-musicians with good musical aptitude (NM-GA, n = 33) and non-musicians with poor musical aptitude (NM-PA, n = 35), selected based on convenience sampling. Music aptitude was assessed using Mini Profile of Music Perception Skills. A spatial test battery consisting of tests of binaural interaction - ITD (interaural time difference) and ILD (interaural level difference), and Virtual space identification test (VASI) were administered.
Results: Musicians and NM-GA demonstrated significantly lower ITD and ILD thresholds than NM-PA, suggesting the role of musical aptitude in sound lateralization. In VASI test, musicians scored highest, followed by NM-GA, who in turn had significantly higher scores than NM-PA, suggestive of further refinement of innate musical advantage due to training in musicians. Location specific analysis revealed NM-PA made significantly greater errors in R45, L45, R135, and L135 (p<0.001), often confusing them with extreme right (R90) or left (L90) locations.
Conclusion: Both innate musical aptitude and formal musical training contribute to enhanced spatial hearing abilities. While musicians and NM-GA exhibit superior ITD and ILD thresholds, musicians outperform NM-GA in VASI scores, indicating training refines complex spatial perception beyond natural aptitude.
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