Studying Musical Savants: A Commentary on Grundy and Ockelford (2014)

Authors

  • B Poulin-Charronnat Universit

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.18061/emr.v9i2.4030

Keywords:

zygonic theory, musical expectation, musical savant

Abstract

On the basis of the ‘zygonic’ theory (Ockelford, 2006), Grundy and Ockelford (2014) investigate musical expectations evoked during the course of hearing a piece for the first time in a prodigious musical savant (Derek Paravicini). Overall, the results provided by Derek support the principles of the zygonic theory, especially that the higher the implication factor of a note, the more likely Derek would predict its occurrence. My commentary first raises the question of the use of such special individuals as musical savants to generalize findings to the general population, and second I will address the issue of the task and the stimuli used.

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Published

2014-09-23

How to Cite

Poulin-Charronnat, B. (2014). Studying Musical Savants: A Commentary on Grundy and Ockelford (2014). Empirical Musicology Review, 9(2), 98–100. https://doi.org/10.18061/emr.v9i2.4030

Issue

Section

Commentaries