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| Author(s): |
Carlos Alberto Leite Filho
Total Authors: 1
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| Document type: | Doctoral Thesis |
| Press: | São Paulo. |
| Institution: | Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Faculdade de Medicina (FM/SBD) |
| Defense date: | 2024-04-30 |
| Examining board members: |
Eliane Schochat;
Renata Mota Mamede Carvallo;
Camila Maia Rabelo;
Patricia Maria Vanzella
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| Advisor: | Eliane Schochat |
| Abstract | |
Absolute pitch, defined as the ability to name musical notes without external references, is a phenomenon which serves as a relevant model for understanding the interaction between environmental and innate factors on the development of linguistic, sensory and cognitive skills. Evidence suggests that auditory temporal processing is implicated in the perceptual subprocess of absolute pitch, determining the relevance of sensory processing in the ability to name notes. However, the role of temporal resolution and backward masking, which are related to temporal processing, in absolute pitch is still uncertain and its investigation may clarify the neural processes taking part in this ability. However, this investigation is hampered by the lack of a validated backward masking test. Therefore, for conducting this exploration, the development of a valid instrument for measuring backward masking is necessary and may be beneficial not only for research in cognitive neuroscience, but also for clinical practice on auditory perceptual disorders. As such, this work aimed to search for evidences of validity for the backward masking test and to investigate the temporal processing of musicians with absolute pitch with two studies, the first being published in the Journal of Clinical Medicine in 2022 and the second being published in Frontiers in Neuroscience in 2023. In the first study, adults with and without temporal processing disorder and older adults performed the backward masking test, as well as other temporal tests. In addition to moderate-to-strong correlations between the backward masking test and other temporal procedures, the test replicated classic results from psychophysical experiments. As expected, there was a group difference in performance, however the cutoff points showed high specificity, but low sensitivity for detecting temporal processing disorders, which was probably influenced by the absence of a gold standard group with neurological lesions. Therefore, the backward masking test presented satisfactory evidence of construct validity, pointing to backward masking as its underlying construct, but moderate evidence of criterion validity, which limits its clinical applicability. In the second study, musicians with and without absolute pitch performed the Gaps-in-Noise test, which measures temporal resolution, and the backward masking test to investigate associations between absolute pitch and temporal processing. While the absolute pitch group presented results suggesting worse performance in the backward masking test, performance in the Gaps-in-Noise significantly influenced performance in the pitch identification test. These results showed that temporal resolution is involved in the perceptual subprocess of absolute pitch and suggested that this subprocess may be predominant in individuals with highaccuracy absolute pitch. On the other hand, there was no evidence that backward masking is related to the perceptual subprocess and the worse performance in this aspect for musicians with absolute pitch, possibly due to the cognitive load of the task, may indicate an interaction between cognitive factors and pitch naming ability (AU) | |
| FAPESP's process: | 19/13817-1 - Behavioral and electrophysiological correlates of temporal and spectral processing in absolute pitch and Mesial Temporal Sclerosis |
| Grantee: | Carlos Alberto Leite Filho |
| Support Opportunities: | Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate (Direct) |