Year: 2015
Type: dissertation
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: Music and language have been proposed to share processing resources in the brain, an extension of that being expertise in one of these two skills may enhance processing of the other. This study aimed to use an experience-dependent linguistic expert – simultaneous interpreters – to address whether linguistic expertise enhances auditory processing outside of the linguistic domain, particularly in measures where musical expertise has been shown to improve performance. Simultaneous interpreters and non-interpreter controls were compared on several measures, spanning fine temporal and spectral discrimination, speech-in-noise perception, memory for pitch, visual working memory and cognitive flexibility. No significant differences were found between simultaneous interpreters and controls on any of the tested measures. The current findings are discussed in light of previous studies demonstrating advantages in executive function in simultaneous interpreters. Possible causes for the discrepancy between the existing research and this study are also discussed.
Source: TSpace (University of Toronto)
Author: T.M. Vanessa Chan
Language: English
Subfield: Cognitive Neuroscience
Field: Neuroscience
Domain: Life Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W2611744253