Preferred music listening is associated with perceptual learning enhancement at the expense of self-focused attention

• DOI: 10.3758/s13423-022-02127-8
• Publication Date: 2022-06-06T17:07:02Z
• Authors: Pietro Sarasso; Paolo Barbieri; Elena Del Fante; Ludovico Bechis; Marco Neppi-Modona; Katiuscia Sacco; Irene Ronga
• Keywords: Surprise; Stimulus (psychology); Perceptual Learning

Can preferred music listening improve following attentional and learning performances? Here we suggest that this may be the case. In Experiment 1, non-preferred musical-piece listening, recorded electrophysiological responses to an auditory roving-paradigm. We computed mismatch negativity (MMN - difference between novel repeated stimulation), as index of perceptual learning, measured correlation trial-by-trial EEG fluctuations in Bayesian Surprise, a quantification neural attunement with stimulus informational value. Furthermore, during oscillatory cortical activity. MMN surprise were significantly larger after subjectively versus music, indicating enhancement learning. The analysis on activity showed selective alpha power increased response effect often related cognitive enhancements. 2, explored whether improvement was realized at expense self-focused attention. Therefore, collected Heart-Beat Detection (HBD) accuracy, measure focus toward self. HBD lowered listening. Overall, our results presence specific mechanism that, aesthetically pleasing stimuli, through modulation activity, redirects resources away from self environment. This up-weighting external stimuli might fruitfully exploited wide area human activities, including education, neurorehabilitation therapy.