Lunch | Laura Emmery and Christina Tzeng | The Human Capacity for Music

What are the components of musical ability, and to what extent are they shared with spoken language processing? Both music and language are composed of sounds combined into complex sequences. Both also exhibit tonality, pitch, and rhythmic grouping and convey emotional meaning. Drs. Laura Emmery (Department of Music) and Christina Tzeng (Department of Psychology) will explore the intersections between these two phenomena. Dr Emmery will address some of the mental processes that underlie music behaviors—how emotion, environment, individual preferences, and other factors influence how we perceive music. Dr. Tzeng will share insights into the extent to which the cognitive and perceptual abilities that enable human language might also be shared with music. Drawing from music theory and psychology, we will discuss the functional significance of music and language in the human experience.