The next talk in the CDC seminar series will be given by:<br><br>Gábor Háden, Budapest University of Technology and Economics (BME) and Hungarian Academy of Sciences (MTA)<br>Wednesday, December 8, 5 PM<br>Cognitive Development Center, Hattyú u. 14, 3rd floor<br>
<br><b>Perceptual foundations of music in newborns</b><br><br>The universal prevalence of music in human cultures strongly suggests that music is deeply rooted in the perceptual and cognitive processes of the human species. In contrast to some assumptions related to speech perception, the processes underlying music perception are probably no specific to music. Music perception can be seen as the product of interactions between innate predispositions, environmental constraints, and learning. Finding out which of the abilities underlying the perception of music are functional at the time of birth can help to disentangle these interactions.<br>
In this talk, I will present four studies investigating neonatal abilities underlying the perception of musical pitch, timbre and rhythm. By applying ERP measurements, sources of information otherwise hidden by the limited repertoire of behavioral responses available to newborns can be tapped. I conclude that babies are born well equipped for gathering information necessary for music perception, with adult-like abilities .