Neural Correlates of Processing Syntax in Music and ... - PubMan

Experiment I 96
parents. 13 All children were healthy, and had no hearing problems (i.e., they passed a
screening for oto-acoustic emissions). Their parents signed a written informed consent
that allowed the children to participate in the experiment. They received a compensation
for expenses (20.00 €).
Children were excluded, [1] if they did not finish the experiment (12 children excluded),
or [2] if the EEG measurement could not be evaluated (due to many artefacts, i.e., drifts,
chewing, or excessive movement; 15 children excluded). All in all, the data of 69 children
were evaluated (43 boys, 26 girls; 29 to 31 months old, M = 30 months).
The children were divided in two groups in which a slightly different experimental
paradigm was used. The set of stimuli used in these paradigms differed with respect to
the irregular chords: in one group (N = 37; 22 boys, 15 girls), the irregular chord at the
end of a sequence was a supertonic; in another group (N = 32; 21 boys, 11 girls), it was
a Neapolitan sixth chord.
Stimuli and paradigm
Experimental paradigm
In the ERP experiments, a well-established paradigm to investigate the processing of
musical syntax in adults (e.g., Koelsch et al., 2000) and in children (Koelsch et al.,
2003) was used. In this paradigm, EEG data were recorded while children listened to
chord sequences that ended either on a regular or on a slightly irregular chord.
Figure 9-1 Examples of the musical stimuli that were used in the experiment. A: Chord sequence
ending with a regular tonic. B: Chord sequence ending with an irregular supertonic. C:
Chord sequence ending with an irregular Neapolitan sixth chord.
These sequences had a duration of 4800 ms and consisted of five chords (see Figure
9-1) and a pause. Two groups of participants were presented with a slightly different
paradigm. These paradigms differed in the type of chord sequences that was used. In
both groups, the first four chords (each 600 ms) were always the same – tonic, subdominant,
supertonic and dominant. They were arranged according to the classical rules
of harmony (Hindemith, 1940) and established a musical context toward the end of the
sequence. With regard to the rules of harmony, the fourth chord (the dominant) induced
a strong expectancy for a tonic chord at the fifth position of a sequence, since the domi-
13 The children took part in the German Language Development (GLaD) study. This study was supported by
the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (FR-519/18-1). I am grateful to Angela Friederici for providing the
opportunity to investigate the processing of musical syntax in these children.