Cool Logic

Fleur Bouwer (ILLC)

How Basic is Hearing a Beat?

January 25th at 17:30, in Science Park D1.113

The ability to clap and dance to a beat in music seems very basic. However, this ability is still ill understood. How is it possible that we hear regularity in music, even when the musical signal is not regular in itself? Is this an ability that is learned and influenced by our culture? And is it a purely human feat to hear regularity in music or can other species also do this?

In this talk I will address these and other questions related to beat perception and I will review some recent literature attempting to uncover the cognitive processes underlying beat perception. The talk will be accessible to the general audience of MoL and ILLC PhD students.