Individual differences

What is 'musical ability' and how do we measure it?

There is little consensus on what exactly constitutes musical ability and how to best measure it. Past research has used various tasks; most commonly assessing perceptual skills (e.g., same/different judgments in sequentially presented melodies), but …

Moving from bilingual traits to states: Understanding cognition and language processing through moment-to-moment variation

The study of how bilingualism is linked to cognitive processing, including executive functioning, has historically focused on comparing bilinguals to monolinguals across a range of tasks. These group comparisons presume to capture relatively stable …

Individual differences in musical training and Executive Functions: A latent variable approach

Learning and performing music draw on a host of cognitive abilities, and previous research has postulated that musicians might have advantages in related cognitive processes. One such aspect of cognition that may be related to musical training is …

Tuning the mind: Exploring the connections between musical ability and Executive Functions

A growing body of research suggests that musical experience and ability are related to a variety of cognitive abilities, including executive functioning (EF). However, it is not yet clear if these relationships are limited to specific components of …

Individual differences in second-language proficiency: Does musical ability matter?

This study examined the relation between musical ability and second-language (L2) proficiency in adult learners. L2 ability was assessed in four domains: receptive phonology, productive phonology, syntax, and lexical knowledge. Also assessed were …