Interested in doing a postdoc on rhythm cognition in Amsterdam?

The Institute for Logic, Language and Computation (ILLC) at the University of Amsterdam (UvA) now invites applications from excellent candidates wishing to conduct postdoctoral research on the computational and (neuro)cognitive underpinnings of rhythm cognition. 

For details on the 2-year position and information on how to apply, see UvA-webpage.

Deadline: 31 December 2020.

Sind Tiere musikalisch? [German]

Rezensionsnotiz zu Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, 07.12.2019:

"Rezensentin Melanie Wald-Fuhrmann findet Henkjan Honings Wissensdrang ansteckend [..] ein sehr gelungenes Beispiel für Wissenschaftskommunikation." (from: Perlentaucher.)

"Das Buch ist ein ausnehmend geglücktes Beispiel für das, was gerade wieder als Wissenschaftskommunikation von der Politik angemahnt wird: Geschrieben von einem genuin wissbegierigen und dabei vollkommen uneitlen Forscher, blendet es nicht einfach mit spektakulären Ergebnissen, sondern macht – empirische – Wissenschaft als Prozess und als gemeinsame Anstrengung eines Kollektivs erfahrbar. Es zeigt, wie Beobachtung, Theoriebildung, Überprüfung und Ergebnisinterpretation aufeinander aufbauen, wie viel Ehrlichkeit mit sich selbst, Geduld, Frustrationstoleranz und Wahrheitsliebe es dafür braucht. Es macht mit einer Reihe von Methoden der Neuro- und Kognitionswissenschaft und Verhaltensbiologie vertraut und bricht dabei ganz nebenbei auch eine Lanze für gelebte Interdisziplinarität." (from: Frankfurter Algemeine Zeitung.)

For a podcast review see here.

Can we know the evolution of human cognition?

According to Dick Lewontin (evolutionary biologist, geneticist and social commentator) there is no way to know the evolution of cognition. He argued that we should ‘give up the childish notion that everything that is interesting about nature can be understood. [..] It might be interesting to know how cognition (whatever that is) arose and spread and changed, but we cannot know. Tough luck.’ (Lewontin, 1998:130)

In the study of the evolution of music cognition, we will have to take into account this critique. So, do we better stop right now, or is there a way to deal with this criticism? (See also Bolhuis & Wynne, 2009.)

While it became quite popular to address music cognition from an evolutionary perspective, there is still little agreement on the idea that music is in fact an adaptation, that it influenced our survival or that it made us sexually more attractive. Music appears to be of little use. It doesn’t quell our hunger, nor do we live a day longer because of it, so why arguing that music is an adaptation?

Are there indeed no arguments to show that music has played a more direct and shaping role in man’s evolutionary development? Or should music be considered as a sexually selected trait, a trait that evolved to attract partners rather than to improve survival chances? Or is music, as Pinker suggested, no more than a pleasant side effect of more important functions, such as speech and language?

Recently a number of interesting papers appeared (see references below) on the possibilities and impossibilities (Heyes, 2012; part of a special issue by The Royal Society dedicated to this topic) and the prospects and pitfalls of studying the evolution of cognition, music cognition being no exception (Honing & Ploeger, 2012; Marcus, 2012).

See also the Science Daily.

Heyes, C. (2012). New thinking: the evolution of human cognition. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 367 (1599), 2091-2096 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2012.0111

Honing, H., & Ploeger, A. (2012). Cognition and the Evolution of Music: Pitfalls and Prospects Topics in Cognitive Science, 4 (4), 513-524 DOI: 10.1111/j.1756-8765.2012.01210.x

Marcus, G. (2012). Musicality: Instinct or Acquired Skill? Topics in Cognitive Science, 4 (4), 498-512 DOI: 10.1111/j.1756-8765.2012.01220.x

Synesthesia as an alternative explanation of a chimps' exceptional memory?

Have a look at this video. (N.B. it is played back at normal speed)



After the numbers 1 through 9 make a split-second appearance on a computer screen, the chimp, Ayumu, gets to work. His index finger moves quickly across the screen, tapping white squares where the numbers had appeared, in order. Ayumu’s talent caused a quite a stir when researchers first reported it (Matsuzawa, 2009).

In an upcoming Trends in Cognitive Sciences essay, Nicholas Humphrey floats a different explanation for Ayumu’s superlative performance: Ayumu might have a curious brain condition that allows him to see numbers in colors. A simple experiment could reveal whether Ayumu is synesthetic: Changing the white square to colored squares would throw him off if he was relying on colors to order the numbers. According to ScienceNews Matsuzawa, who declined to comment directly on Humphrey’s theory, has no plans to test this.

Nicholas Humphrey (2012). ‘This chimp will kick your ass at memory games – but how the hell does he do it?’ Trends in Cognitive Science DOI: 10.1016/j.tics.2012.05.002

Tetsuro Matsuzawa (2009). Symbolic representation of number in chimpanzees Current Opinion in Neurobiology, 19 (1), 92-98 DOI: 10.1016/j.conb.2009.04.007

Een creatieve geest? [Dutch]

Op initiatief van de Freek & Hella de Jonge stichting en het Cognitive Science Center Amsterdam (CSCA) is de Creatieve Geest Prijs opgericht. Deze prijs wordt toegekend aan een jonge gepromoveerde wetenschapper die met een origineel en sprankelend idee komt om eigen onderzoek uit te voeren, waarin creativiteit en de werking van de hersenen centraal staan. De prijswinnaar krijgt de kans om in het kader van het UvA Brain & Cognition programma haar/zijn onderzoeksplan te realiseren en zich zo als veelbelovend onderzoeker te profileren.

Met de prijs wordt meer aandacht gevraagd voor onderzoek naar creativiteit en de hersenprocessen die daarbij een rol spelen, zoals de waarneming van schilders, het ontwerpen door architecten of het associatief vermogen van cabaretiers. Dit onderzoek kan plaatsvinden vanuit meerdere wetenschappelijke disciplines, zolang het thema ‘hersenen en cognitie’ centraal staat. Het voornaamste beoordelingscriterium is dat het gaat om een nieuw, onverwacht idee over hoe het brein creativiteit stuurt, gekoppeld aan een plan hoe dit verder te onderzoeken.

De deadline voor aanvragen is 15 augustus 2011. 

Meer informatie is hier te vinden.

What's new on music and the brain?

The Mariani Foundation for Paediatric Neurology just announced The Neurosciences and Music - IV: Learning and Memory, to be held in Edinburgh (Scotland, UK) from 9th to 12th June 2011. The conference is conceived as a continuation of the previous meetings on the relation between Music and the Neurosciences in which our Foundation participated: "The Biological Foundations of Music" (New York, 2000), "The Neurosciences and Music - I , Mutual interactions and implications of developmental functions" (Venice, 2002), "The Neurosciences and Music - II, From perception to performance" (Leipzig, 2005) and "The Neurosciences and Music - III, Disorders and plasticity". These conferences have been highly successful and have generated enormous excitement, both among established and new researchers. By providing the opportunity to present new results and exchange information, the meetings have contributed substantially to the growth of new research and collaborations in the neuroscience of music and to its visibility within the broader scientific community.

The central theme of Music and Neurosciences IV will be Learning and Memory. The conference programme will also be divided into 4 subthemes: "Infants and Children", "Adults: musicians and non musicians", "Disabilities and aging-related issues" and "Therapy and Rehabilitation". The conference will include Keynote Lectures, Symposia, Poster Sessions and a Workshop on child-oriented research design and new data acquisition and analysis techniques, to be held in the afternoon on 9th June. The conference will be of interest not only to neuroscientists, psychologists and students but also to clinical neurologists, clinical psychologists, therapists, music performers and educators as well as musicologists.

Edinburgh has been selected as a most appropriate setting because of the IMHSD - Institute for Music in Human and Social Development, established in 2005, which brings together music research, theory and practice from a wide range of disciplines, with an emphasis on learning and rehabilitation. The selected dates are immediately prior to the "Edinburgh International Film Festival" (EIFF), so delegates will have the opportunity to stay on in Edinburgh to attend this event. The EIFF was one of the world's first international film festivals, born alongside the Edinburgh International Festival in 1947, and places a longstanding emphasis upon new talent, discovery and innovation.

Geeft het hoofd de geest? [Dutch]

Aardig promotiefilmpje met de titel 'Cognitie: het hoofd dat de geest geeft' over cognitieonderzoek, gemaakt in het kader van het bètacanon initiatief...