I'm thrilled to be giving one of the keynote talks at this year's International Music and Performing Arts Conference (IMPAC2018) in Malaysia, 13-15 November. I will be speaking on: Expectations, expectations, expecta...: Highlighting a fundamental concept in music cognition, and exploring its relevance to healthcare
Abstract:
A concept of fundamental importance to human cognition is expectation. Across domains, the expectation and prediction of events shapes our perception of the world, and is shaped by our experiences in the world. In this talk, I will discuss the important role auditory expectation plays in music perception, and how, similar to language, the structure of music generates expectations in listeners that guide our understanding and emotional responses. Results from cognitive psychology and neuroscience will be compared with computational models of music perception, which can provide insight into what goes on in the mind during music listening. After sharing recent findings and discussing the implications for how people learn new information, I will explore how related ideas can be applied to healthcare settings. For example, 'physiological entrainment' (e.g., when endogenous neural activity or behavior matches external rhythmic events) may be considered a physical manifestation of temporal expectation. Entrainment to music may help in a variety of clinical contexts, such as Parkinson's Disease, motor rehabilitation in stroke patients, and even motivating adherence to prescribed physical exercises. Concluding remarks will emphasize take-away messages from music cognition for learning, well-being, and healthcare.

More information about the conference may be found here.