Cross-domain mapping processes in the perception of post tonal music

Abstract

Theories of embodied cognition state that knowledge is built by means of cross-domain mapping processes between different domains of experience. Recent research informs about the presence of mapping processes in the reception of both tonal and atonal music. A previous experiment suggested the occurrence of mappings between visual attributes and interpretative features in atonal music. However, these results were obtained with musicians; therefore, it is unknown to what extent they are equally valid to non-musicians. This study aims at examining the incidence of interpretative expression within the visual-musical mapping process. Three versions (two expressive and one deadpan) of an atonal musical piece were presented to musicians and non musicians. The two expressive versions, varied in the span of silence between groups. Simultaneously, different visual animated images that represented the image-schema Source-Path-Goal were exhibited. Subjects were required to estimate the correspondence between the animations and the music. It was predicted that (i) the microstructure of expressive performance would communicate a sense of goal’s attainment; (ii) conversely, the lack of microstructure in the deadpan version would not; and (iii) there would not be differences between musicians and non-musicians. Significant differences were found in the responses according to the interpretative version.