Cognitive Function of Music. Part I

Abstract

Ancient and contemporary theories of cognitive functions of music, its origins, and evolution are reviewed. A hypothesis is presented that promises to unify the field and a theory is proposed of the origin of music based on the fundamental role of music in cognition. The split is considered of the vocalizations of proto-humans into two types: one less emotional and more concretely-semantic, evolving into language, and the other preserving emotional connections along with semantic ambiguity, evolving into music. The evolution of language toward the semantically powerful tool of today required emancipation from emotional encumbrances. Opposing, but no less powerful, mechanisms required a compensatory evolution of music toward more differentiated and refined emotionality. The need for refined music is grounded in fundamental mechanisms of the mind. This is why today’s human mind and cultures cannot exist without today’s music. The hypothesis is that the fundamental cognitive function of music is to help resolve cognitive dissonances created by language. Without this ability evolution of language, cognition, culture is not possible.

Keywords:

• cognition
• music
• language
• proto-human
• emotions
• cognitive dissonances

It is my pleasure to acknowledge the contributions of my colleagues and co-authors M. Aranovsky, M. Bar, L. Barsalou, M. Bonfeld, R. Brockett, M. Cabanac, A. Cangelosi, T. Chernigovskaya, E. Coutinho, R. Deming, T. Dudochkin, F. Fontanari, M. Frank-Kamenetskii, J. Gleason, A. Goldwag, M. Houser, D. Huron, R. Ilin, M. Karpovsky, N. Katonova, R. Kozma, L. Leibman, D. Levine, D. Levitin, L. Levitin, R. Linnehan, T. Lyons, N. Masataka, M. Mazo, Y. Neuman, A. Ovsich, R. Parncutt, A. Patel, V. Rosenbaum, J. Sloboda, V. Smolensky, D. Sontag, W. Thompson, Y. Vinkovetsky, and B. Weijers for discussions, help, and advice. This work was supported in part by AFOSR PMs Dr Jon Sjogren, Dr Doug Cochran, and Dr Jun Zhang. Especial acknowledgements are due to Y. Dimitrin who has inspired me to think about the role of musical emotions in human cognition, and to D. Vinkovetsky who inspires me to think profoundly.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Leonid Perlovsky

Dr Leonid Perlovsky is Visiting Scholar at Harvard University, and Principal Research Physicist and Technical Advisor at the Air Force Research Lab., Wright-Patterson Air Force base. Dr Perlovsky leads projects on modelling of the mind and cultures. He has served as professor at Novosibirsk and New York Universities, published more then 400 papers, keynote talks, and four books, including ‘Neural Networks and Intellect’, Oxford University Press, 2001 (in the 3rd printing). Dr Perlovsky serves on the Editorial Boards of ten journals, including Editor-in-Chief for ‘Physics of Life Reviews’, (founded by Nobel Laureate I. Prigogine). He has received national and international awards, including the Gabor Award, 2007, the highest engineering award from the International Neural Network Society; and the McLucas Award, 2007, from the USAF, the highest AF scientific award.

Correspondence to: 149 Thirteenth Street, Rm 2301, Charlestown, MA 02129, Air Force Research Laboratory WPAFB, OH; Email: [email protected]