How musical are music video game players?

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

1-1-2016

Publication Title

Psychonomic Bulletin and Review

Volume

23

Issue

5

First page number:

1553

Last page number:

1558

Abstract

Numerous studies have shown that formal musical training is associated with sensory, motor, and cognitive advantages in individuals of various ages. However, the nature of the observed differences between musicians and nonmusicians is poorly understood, and little is known about the listening skills of individuals who engage in alternative types of everyday musical activities. Here, we show that people who have frequently played music video games outperform nonmusicians controls on a battery of music perception tests. These findings reveal that enhanced musical aptitude can be found among individuals who play music video games, raising the possibility that music video games could potentially enhance music perception skills in individuals across a broad spectrum of society who are otherwise unable to invest the time and/or money required to learn a musical instrument. © 2015, Psychonomic Society, Inc.

Keywords

Learning; Musical aptitude; Personality; Useful field of view; Video games

Language

English

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