TheoArtistry: practical perspectives on ‘theologically informed art’

ABSTRACT

This article reviews the TheoArtistry Composers’ Scheme (2016–2018), in light of the developing concept of ‘theologically informed art’. Based at the Institute for Theology, Imagination, and the Arts (ITIA) (University of St Andrews), the scheme partnered emerging theologians and composers to create six new choral settings of Hebrew Bible ‘annunciations’. In addition to producing new music, the project became a practical touchstone for reinvigorating dialogues between theologians and practising artists, as well as Christians and non-Christians. First, the author assesses the scheme’s contributions to the study and practice of theologically informed art in the future. Second, she outlines some methodological issues associated with the scheme’s unique breadth of participants. Finally, she assesses ecclesiological and theological ambiguities within the scheme. The author argues that clarifying these ambiguities expands horizons for future collaborations in theologically informed art.     

Music Training and Semantic Clustering in College Students

College students with 5 or more years of music training recalled significantly more words from a 16-item word list than did students with 0-4 years of training. The superior recall of the extensively trained students linked to better application of a semantic-clustering strategy across a series of 3 test trials. Music education and language experience may have similar influences on the development of verbal memory.     

Sing that tune: Infants’ perception of melody and lyrics and the facilitation of phonetic recognition in songs

To better understand how infants process complex auditory input, this study investigated whether 11-month-old infants perceive the pitch (melodic) or the phonetic (lyric) components within songs as more salient, and whether melody facilitates phonetic recognition. Using a preferential looking paradigm, uni-dimensional and multi-dimensional songs were tested; either the pitch or syllable order of the stimuli varied. As a group, infants detected a change in pitch order in a 4-note sequence when the syllables were redundant (experiment 1), but did not detect the identical pitch change with variegated syllables (experiment 2). Infants were better able to detect a change in syllable order in a sung sequence (experiment 2) than the identical syllable change in a spoken sequence (experiment 1). These results suggest that by 11 months, infants cannot “ignore” phonetic information in the context of perceptually salient pitch variation. Moreover, the increased phonetic recognition in song contexts mirrors findings that demonstrate advantages of infant-directed speech. Findings are discussed in terms of how stimulus complexity interacts with the perception of sung speech in infancy.     

声乐与器乐情绪加工的ERP研究

借助跨通道情绪启动范式考察声乐与器乐情绪加工的电生理差异。启动刺激是声乐和器乐曲(小提琴演奏), 目标刺激是与音乐情绪一致或不一致的面孔表情图片。结果显示, 与一致条件相比, 与面孔情绪不一致的器乐曲诱发了N400, 而与面孔情绪不一致的声乐曲诱发了LPC。这些结果表明, 声乐与器乐情绪加工的电生理反应存在差异。     

生活方式对大学生在线音乐购买意向的影响：有调节的中介模型

探讨生活方式对大学生在线音乐购买意向的影响机制。采用生活方式量表、在线音乐感知价值量表、神经质量表以及在线音乐购买意向量表对2011名大学生进行调查。结果表明：（1）时尚品味、完美主义和崇尚自由正向预测大学生在线音乐购买意向;（2）在线音乐感知价值在时尚品味与大学生在线音乐购买意向之间起部分中介作用,在线音乐感知价值在崇尚自由与大学生在线音乐购买意向之间起完全中介作用,在线音乐感知价值在中庸内敛、积极进取与大学生在线音乐购买意向之间起遮掩效应;（3）神经质调节了在线音乐感知价值对大学生在线音乐购买意向的影响。     

背景音乐对消费者的影响：音乐契合度的视角

音乐契合度指的是背景音乐与广告、消费环境及商品特征等消费要素的契合程度。背景音乐与消费要素的契合可以体现在音乐特性、社会隐义和文化意蕴三个方面,这些契合程度能够对消费者的认知、情绪和行为等方面产生影响。若背景音乐的音乐特性与消费要素之间存在较高契合度,则能够提升消费者的注意效果、加强对商品的记忆并提升购买意图;背景音乐的社会隐义也能与消费要素产生契合关系,两者之间的契合程度决定了消费者对品牌的态度、情绪状态、对商品的记忆和选择;背景音乐与消费要素在文化意蕴方面的高度契合则能够促进消费者对品牌的态度、提升购买意愿、促进购买行为。未来研究应探索背景音乐更多的结构属性,进一步挖掘背景音乐影响消费者的边界条件,突破现有理论探索更深入的理论机制,并进一步探索音乐契合对于消费者认知和情绪的影响效应及其影响机制。     

Neural correlates of music recognition in Down syndrome

The brain mechanisms that subserve music recognition remain unclear despite increasing interest in this process. Here we report the results of a magnetoencephalography experiment to determine the temporal dynamics and spatial distribution of brain regions activated during listening to a familiar and unfamiliar instrumental melody in control adults and adults with Down syndrome (DS). In the control group, listening to the familiar melody relative to the unfamiliar melody, revealed early and significant activations in the left primary auditory cortex, followed by activity in the limbic and sensory-motor regions and finally, activation in the motor related areas. In the DS group, listening to the familiar melody relative to the unfamiliar melody revealed increased significant activations in only three regions. Activity began in the left primary auditory cortex and the superior temporal gyrus and was followed by enhanced activity in the right precentral gyrus. These data suggest that familiar music is associated with auditory–motor coupling but does not activate brain areas involved in emotional processing in DS. These findings reveal new insights on the neural basis of music perception in DS as well as the temporal course of neural activity in control adults.     

音乐意义传递的神经证据——基于启动范式的发现与思考

使用语义启动(semantic priming)、概念启动(conceptual priming)、情感启动(affective priming)以及和声启动(harmonic priming)四种启动范式及其变式,认知神经科学的研究证实:音乐能够传递不同的意义,其主要的神经证据是两大脑电指标:对应于外在音乐意义(extra-musical meaning)的N400与对应于内在音乐意义(intra-musical meaning)的N5。对4种启动范式的分析发现:1)音乐以"语义"与"非语义"两种形式为媒介传递意义;2)启动范式的核心特征即是对基于"音乐知觉与图式"的"期望匹配与不匹配效应"的操作。与此同时,近期的研究表明N400与N5间的关系并非完全的"彼此独立",而是倾向于共存与共变,甚至是一个成分的两种表达。未来研究在进一步厘清音乐内、外在意义深层关联的同时,有必要将音乐意义传递的神经科学研究纳入到更为宏阔的时代、地域与社会性背景之中。     

音乐训练与抑制控制的关系：来自ERPs的证据

抑制控制是人类非常重要的认知功能之一,它对个体适应环境具有重要的意义。本研究将抑制控制细分为反应抑制和冲突控制,采用Go/No-go和Stroop任务从行为和脑电层面,考察了音乐训练与抑制控制能力的关系及其认知神经机制。结果发现:在行为指标上,音乐训练组比控制组的Stroop干扰效应更小,但两组被试在Go/No-go任务表现上没有差异。在脑电指标上,在Go/No-go任务中音乐训练组的N2差异波和P3差异波波幅(No-go减Go条件)显著大于控制组,在Stroop任务中音乐训练组的N450差异波波幅(不一致减一致条件)也显著大于控制组,但两组被试的SP差异波波幅(不一致减一致条件)无显著差异。结果表明:音乐训练组被试在反应抑制任务中可能具有更强的冲突监控和运动抑制能力,在冲突控制任务中也具有更强的冲突监控能力。本研究从电生理的层面反映了音乐训练与抑制控制能力的提升具有一定的关联。