Neural representation of transposed melody in infants at 6 months of age.
We examined adults' and 6-month-old infants' event-related potentials in response to occasional changes (deviants) in a 4-note melody presented at different pitch levels from trial to trial. In both groups, responses to standard and deviant stimuli differed significantly; however, adults produced a typical mismatch negativity (MMN), whereas 6-month-old infants exhibited a slow positive wave. We conclude that 6-month-old infants, like adults, encode melodic information in terms of relative pitch distances, but that the underlying cortical activity differs significantly from that of adults.
Tew
Sarah
S
Department of Psychology, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.
Fujioka
Takako
T
He
Chao
C
Trainor
Laurel
L
D000328:Adult; D004569:Electroencephalography; D005072:Evoked Potentials, Auditory / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D009146:Music; D010898:Pitch Perception / Q000502:physiology*; D055815:Young Adult