Effects of metric and harmonic rhythm on the detection of pitch alterations in melodic sequences

Tested response time to alterations. Metric rhythm and harmonic rhythm of 13-note tonal sequences were either matched or mismatched. Metric rhythm (3/4 or 4/4 meter) was induced by dynamic accents. Harmonic rhythm was induced by implied chord progressions initiated on the first note and on either every third or every fourth note. Responses were not always faster for matched rhythms or for alterations occurring on the dynamic accent. Responses were consistently faster for sequences presented in 4/4 meter. Musically untrained Ss performed similarly to trained Ss, but were slower and more variable. Accuracy of recall on a music dictation task also favored 4/4 meter rather than matched rhythms. Coding of pitch content may have been facilitated by the structural framework of 4/4 meter rather than by expectancies arising from the match of temporal and pitch organization.     

The Attribution of Date Rape: Observer's Attitudes and Sexual Experiences and The Dating Situation

This study investigated the effects of individual experience with sexual aggression/victimization, rape myth score and dating situational factors on rape attributions. A sample of 332 males and 323 females from a freshman-level class read one of three rape scenarios—a planned date with monetary investment, a planned dutch-treat date and an unplanned pick-up date. ANOVAS consisting of a 3 (scenarios) × 2 (above vs. below median on rape myth scale) × 5 (level of sexual aggression/victimization) were performed separately for each sex on four ratings of the rape scenario. Sexually aggressive males and males who agreed more with rape myths were less likely to perceive the scenarios as rape, blamed the victim more, perceived the victim as desiring intercourse and viewed the assailants' behavior as less violent. The dating situation did not affect their attributions. Females tended to rate a pick-up date scenario as rape more frequently than a date with monetary investment and females who agreed more with rape myths tended to blame the victim and perceive the victim as desiring intercourse. A female's previous experience of sexual victimization did not influence attributions. The results are interpreted within a social-cultural context for males and points to the role of situational factors in understanding date rape from the female/victim perspective.     

Responsiveness of Western adults to pitch-distributional information in melodic sequences

Responsiveness of musically trained and untrained adults to pitch-distributional information in melodic contexts was assessed. In Experiment 1, melodic contexts were pure-tone sequences, generated from either a diatonic or one of four nondiatonic tonesets, in which pitch-distributional information was manipulated by variation of the relative frequency of occurrence of tones from the toneset. Both the assignment of relative frequency of occurrence to tones and the construction of the (fixed) temporal order of tones within the sequences contravened the conventions of western tonal music. A probe-tone technique was employed. Each presentation of a sequence was followed by a probe tone, one of the 12 chromatic notes within the octave. Listeners rated the goodness of musical fit of the probe tone to the sequence. Probe-tone ratings were significantly related to frequency of occurrence of the probe tone in the sequence for both trained and untrained listeners. In addition, probe-tone ratings decreased as the pitch distance between the probe tone and the final tone of the sequence increased. For musically trained listeners, probe-tone ratings for diatonic sequences tended also to reflect the influence of an internalized tonal schema. Experiment 2 demonstrated that the temporal location of tones in the sequences could not alone account for the effect of frequency of occurrence in Experiment 1. Experiment 3 tested musically untrained listeners under the conditions of Experiment 1, with the exception that the temporal order of tones in each sequence was randomized across trials. The effect of frequency of occurrence found in Experiment 1 was replicated and strengthened.     

Expectancies generated by melodic intervals: Evaluation of principles of melodic implication in a melody-completion task

Bottom-up principles of melodic implication (Narmour, 1990) were evaluated in a melody-completion task. One hundred subjects (50 low training; 50 high training in music) were presented each of eight melodic intervals. For each interval, the subjects were asked to compose a short melody on a piano keyboard, treating the interval provided as the first two notes of the melody. For each melody, the first response—the note immediately following the initial interval—was analyzed. Multinomial log linear analyses were conducted to assess the extent to which responses could be predicted by Narmour’s (1990, 1992) bottom-up principles. Support was found for all of Narmour’s principles, and two additional predictors based on implied tonal structure. Responses of low- and high-training groups were similar.     

Asymmetry of perceived key movement in chorale sequences: Converging evidence from a probe-tone analysis

Summary In a probe-tone experiment, two groups of listeners — one trained, the other untrained, in traditional music theory — rated the goodness of fit of each of the 12 notes of the chromatic scale to four-voice harmonic sequences. Sequences were 12 simplified excerpts from Bach chorales, 4 nonmodulating, and 8 modulating. Modulations occurred either one or two steps in either the clockwise or the counterclockwise direction on the cycle of fifths. A consistent pattern of probe-tone ratings was obtained for each sequence, with no significant differences between listener groups. Two methods of analysis (Fourier analysis and regression analysis) revealed a directional asymmetry in the perceived key movement conveyed by modulating sequences. For a given modulation distance, modulations in the counterclockwise direction effected a clearer shift in tonal organization toward the final key than did clockwise modulations. The nature of the directional asymmetry was consistent with results reported for identification and rating of key change in the sequences (Thompson & Cuddy, 1989 a). Further, according to the multiple-regression analysis, probe-tone ratings did not merely reflect the distribution of tones in the sequence. Rather, ratings were sensitive to the temporal structure of the tonal organization in the sequence.     

Individualism and Resistance to Affirmative Action: A Comparison of Japanese and American Samples1

It has been proposed that part of the resistance to affirmative action in the U.S. derives from the American discomfort with categorical social arrangements. An instance of gender discrimination was described to samples of Japanese and American students. The students then evaluated a set of remedies, one of which was a classic affirmative action solution and filled out Singelis’ Self-Construal Scale (Singelis, 1994). The Japanese sample was more collectivist than the American sample and endorsed the affirmative action solution more strongly than the American sample.     

Music training and rate of presentation as mediators of text and song recall

The present research addresses whether music training acts as a mediator of the recall of spoken and sung lyrics and whether presentation rate is the essential variable, rather than the inclusion of melody. In Experiment 1, 78 undergraduates, half with music training and half without, heard spoken or sung lyrics. Recall for sung lyrics was superior to that for spoken lyrics for both groups. In Experiments 2 and 3, presentation rate was manipulated so that the durations of the spoken and the sung materials were equal. With presentation rate equated, there was no advantage for sung over spoken lyrics. In all the experiments, those participants with music training outperformed those without training in all the conditions. The results suggest that music training leads to enhanced memory for verbal material. Previous findings of melody's aiding text recall may be attributed to presentation rate.     

Evaluation of “staying on track”: An early identification,tracking, and referral system

The “Staying on Track” project tracked infants, preschoolers, and their families in Brockville, Ontario, Canada for a period of 3 years. Public health nurses at preassigned intervals provided information and counseling for families and made referrals to other agencies if problems were judged to be beyond the expertise of the “Staying on Track” staff. To assess the effectiveness of the program in improving child development, a cohort design was selected to allow development to be assessed over 5½ years in 3 years. Three cohorts and a comparison group were included in the study. Each cohort received different procedures for identification and tracking. Cohort 1 received at least four home visits, cohort 2 received three clinic visits, and cohort 3 received one clinic visit. Intervention and follow-up from these visits included home visits, phone calls, and referrals for all three cohorts. Comparing cohort 1 to cohort 2 at 18 months, highly significant effects were found; few significant differences were found at 3½ years between cohort 2 and 3 and very few positive effects were found for 5½-year-old children who had been in the tracking system since they were 3½ years of age. The results are discussed and recommendations are made about the implications of the study for service provision. © 1998 Michigan Association for Infant Mental Health