eCite Digital Repository

The Distinctiveness Effect in the Recognition of Whole Melodies

Citation

Rainsford, M and Palmer, MA and Sauer, JD, The Distinctiveness Effect in the Recognition of Whole Melodies, Music Perception, 36, (3) pp. 253-272. ISSN 0730-7829 (2019) [Refereed Article]


Preview		PDF
503Kb		  

Copyright Statement

Copyright 2019 Regents of the University of California. Copying and permissions notice: Authorization to copy this content beyond fair use (as specified in Sections 107 and 108 of the U. S. Copyright Law) for internal or personal use, or the internal or personal use of specific clients, is granted by the Regents of the University of California for libraries and other users, provided that they are registered with and pay the specified fee via RightslinkŪ or directly with the Copyright Clearance Center.

DOI: doi:10.1525/mp.2019.36.3.253

Abstract

Distinctive stimuli are better recognized than typical stimuli in many domains (e.g., faces, words). Distinctiveness predicts the point of recognition of a melody (Bailes, 2010), and the recognition of unique tones within a melody (Vuvan, Podolak, & Schmuckler, 2014), yet no studies have examined the role of distinctiveness in recognizing whole melodies. We composed a set of novel melodies according to rules that should result in these being perceived as more or less distinctive. Using computational analysis and human ratings by a group of 36 pilot testers, we established a final stimulus set of 96 novel melodies (48 eightnote, 48 sixteen-note), half of which were high and half low in distinctiveness. A separate group of 26 participants completed a recognition test using this stimulus set. Using linear mixed-effects modeling, we found that greater pitch and interval range, wider intervals, varied contour, and ambiguous tonality within a Western diatonic framework predicted human perception of distinctiveness. However, only a wider modal (most frequent) interval predicted correct recognition. Distinctiveness improved recognition performance in both stimulus lengths; however, a significant advantage was only shown for sixteen-note melodies. Thus, the distinctiveness effect as observed across domains generalizes to the recognition of longer, whole melodies.

Item Details

Item Type:Refereed Article
Keywords:distinctiveness effect, melody, recognition, mirror effect, computational modeling
Research Division:Psychology
Research Group:Cognitive and computational psychology
Research Field:Memory and attention
Objective Division:Expanding Knowledge
Objective Group:Expanding knowledge
Objective Field:Expanding knowledge in psychology
UTAS Author:Rainsford, M (Dr Miro Rainsford)
UTAS Author:Palmer, MA (Associate Professor Matt Palmer)
UTAS Author:Sauer, JD (Associate Professor Jim Sauer)
ID Code:132090
Year Published:2019
Funding Support:Australian Research Council (DP140103746)
Deposited By:Psychology
Deposited On:2019-04-18
Last Modified:2019-05-02
Downloads:25 View Download Statistics

Repository Staff Only: item control page