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Naturally together: pitch-height and brightness as coupled factors for eliciting the SMARC effect in non-musicians

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Abstract

Pitch-height is often labeled spatially (i.e., low or high) as a function of the fundamental frequency of the tone. This correspondence is highlighted by the so-called Spatial–Musical Association of Response Codes (SMARC) effect. However, the literature suggests that the brightness of the tone’s timbre might contribute to this spatial association. We investigated the SMARC effect in a group of non-musicians by disentangling the role of pitch-height and the role of tone-brightness. In three experimental conditions, participants were asked to judge whether the tone they were listening to was (or was not) modulated in amplitude (i.e., vibrato). Participants were required to make their response in both the horizontal and the vertical axes. In a first condition, tones varied coherently in pitch (i.e., manipulation of the tone’s F0) and brightness (i.e., manipulation of the tone’s spectral centroid); in a second condition, pitch-height varied whereas brightness was fixed; in a third condition, pitch-height was fixed whereas brightness varied. We found the SMARC effect only in the first condition and only in the vertical axis. In contrast, we did not observe the effect in any of the remaining conditions. The present results suggest that, in non-musicians, the SMARC effect is not due to the manipulation of the pitch-height alone, but arises because of a coherent change of pitch-height and brightness; this effect emerges along the vertical axis only.

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Acknowledgments

We would like to thank Michele Scaltritti, Ph.D., for helping us with RTs analysis and all the participants for their time and effort. The present study is dedicated to the beloved memory of Mauro Marchetti.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Neurology Section, Department of Neurological and Movement Sciences, University of Verona, Piazzale Ludovico Antonio Scuro, 10, 37134, Verona, Italy

    Marco Pitteri

  2. Department of General Psychology, University of Padova, Padua, Italy

    Mauro Marchetti, Konstantinos Priftis & Massimo Grassi

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  1. Marco Pitteri
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  2. Mauro Marchetti
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  3. Konstantinos Priftis
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Correspondence to Marco Pitteri.

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Appendix

Appendix

 

Modulated (vibrato)

Non-modulated (normal)

848.1 Hz

1132.1 Hz

1511.2 Hz

2017.2 Hz

848.1 Hz

1132.1 Hz

1511.2 Hz

2017.2 Hz

Mean

SD

Mean

SD

Mean

SD

Mean

SD

Mean

SD

Mean

SD

Mean

SD

Mean

SD

Pitch-height varied

 Horizontal

577

157

566

146

586

173

606

179

634

175

599

145

561

132

565

140

Brightness varied

 Vertical

610

170

587

175

594

161

611

178

631

177

608

159

590

164

591

162

Pitch-height varied

 Horizontal

571

160

563

171

574

179

598

167

622

179

587

159

576

170

554

151

Brightness fixed

 Vertical

571

150

581

156

603

159

605

168

639

157

599

148

571

149

572

137

Pitch-height fixed

 Horizontal

583

167

563

133

546

142

567

142

573

141

576

161

574

143

575

161

Brightness varied

 Vertical

611

167

597

165

561

137

594

163

582

157

592

163

595

155

586

161

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Pitteri, M., Marchetti, M., Priftis, K. et al. Naturally together: pitch-height and brightness as coupled factors for eliciting the SMARC effect in non-musicians. Psychological Research 81, 243–254 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00426-015-0713-6

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