El desarrollo del oído absoluto durante la infancia

Abstract

THE APPARENT RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN ABSOLUTE PITCH DEVELOPMENT AND A CRITICAL PERIOD FOR SUCH DEVELOPMENT DURING CHILDHOOD IS THE SUBJECT OF THIS STUDY. POTENTIAL CAUSALITY WAS INVESTIGATED IN TERMS OF THE EFFECT OF INTENSIVE TRAINING, DEMOGRAPHIC CHARACTERISTICS AND HOME ENVIRONMENT. TWENTY-FIVE CHILDREN, 4 TO 6 YEARS OF AGE, WERE SELECTED FOR THE STUDY. THEY RECEIVED SIX MONTHS OF NORMAL MUSICAL TRAINING AT THE VICENT D""INDY SCHOOL OF MUSIC OF MONTREAL, CONSISTING IN ONE HOUR A WEEK OF GENERAL MUSIC INSTRUCTION THROUGH GLOCKENSPIEL TRAINING. PARENTS ENSURED THAT THEIR CHILDREN LISTENED DAILY TO RECORDED MUSIC FORMING PART OF THE TRAINING; THEY ALSO SUPERVISED GLOCKENSPIEL PRACTICE AT HOME. CHILDREN DID NOT RECEIVE ANY SPECIAL ABSOLUTE PITCH TRAINING FOR THE PROJECT. TESTING SESSIONS INCLUDED AN ABSOLUTE PITCH TEST CONSTRUCTED BY THE AUTHOR AND A PARENT'S QUESTIONNAIRE. HANDEDNESS, HOW MANY DAYS THEY PRACTISED A WEEK, AND HOW MANY HOURS THEY HEARD ANOTHER PERSON REGULARLY PLAY AN INSTRUMENT -ALL THESE FACTORS WERE FOUND TO BE SIGNIFICANT TO AP DEVELOPMENT. THE AGE AT WHICH THE CHILDREN BEGAN MUSIC LESSONS, APPROACHED SIGNIFICANCE, WHILE NO SIGNIFICANT RELATIONSHIP WAS FOUND BETWEEN AP DEVELOPMENT AND ITS PRESENCE IN OTHER FAMILY MEMBERS. ARGUMENTS FOR A CRITICAL AGE THEORY FOR AP ACQUISITION ARE ALSO DISCUSSED HERE.