Musical Expectancy

• Definition of expectancy

• “Expectancy” refers to the idea that an antecedent event, or set of events, implies or anticipates a subsequent event or set of events

• In music, this means that a given musical event or passage implies or anticipates an upcoming musical event or passage

• Impact of expectancy formation/realization

• Relation between expectancy formation and the apprehension of musical emotion and meaning

• Impact of expectancy formation on perceptual and cognitive processing of music

Musical Expectancy

Basic expectation

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Musical Expectancy

• Questions about the process of expectancy generation and realization

• The factors underlying the formation of musical expectations. What processes give rise to the formation of expectancies, and influence the content of these expectations

• The subsequent implications of expectancy realization on musical processing, including basic responses to music, guiding of attention, memory for music, and so on.

The Formation of Musical Expectancies

The Expectancy Region

(Jones, 1976)

The Formation of Musical ExpectanciesGestalt principles

Melodic processes (Meyer, 1973)

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Gap-Fill Pattern

Linear Pattern

Expected Note:

The Formation of Musical Expectancies

The 1st eight measures of Schumann’s “Du Ring An Meinen Finger,” Op. 42

Schmuckler (1989)

The Formation of Musical Expectancies

Schmuckler (1989)

Probe Position 1:

Context:

Trial 1:

↑

Continuation Tone

Trial 2:

↑

Continuation Tone

The Formation of Musical Expectancies

Schmuckler (1989)

Probe Position 2:

 Context:

Possible Continuation Tones:

The Formation of Musical Expectancies

Schmuckler (1989)

Beta weights for tonal structure, melodic contour, and melodic process

The Formation of Musical Expectancies

The Implication-Realization Model

(Narmour, 1990, 1992)

• Registral Direction – small intervals imply melodic continuation in the same direction, whereas large intervals imply a reversal of direction

• Intervallic difference – small intervals imply similarly sized intervals whereas large intervals imply smaller intervals

• Registral Return – refers to cases in which the second tone of a realized interval reverse pitch direction, thus producing approximate symmetry in patterns

• Proximity – there is a general preference for small realized intervals

• Closure – closure occurs when a melody changes direction or when a relatively smaller realized interval follows a larger implicative interval

The Formation of Musical Expectancies

Quantification of Narmour’s Implication-Realization Model

Schellenberg (1996)

The Formation of Musical Expectancies

Simplification of Narmour’s Implication-Realization Model

Schellenberg (1997)

The Formation of Musical Expectancies

Harmonic expectancies

Schmuckler (1989)

Predictions based on Piston’s (1978) Table of Usual Root Progressions

The Formation of Musical Expectancies

Harmonic expectancies

Schmuckler (1989)Comparisons of harmonic expectancy ratings

The Formation of Musical Expectancies

Combined (melodic and harmonic) expectancies

Schmuckler (1989)

Beta weights for melodic and harmonic factors

The Consequences of Musical Expectancies

The Harmonic Priming Paradigm

Bharucha & Stoeckig (1986, 1987)

Related Context:

Unrelated Context:

The Consequences of Musical Expectancies

Processing of harmonically related and unrelated chords

Bharucha & Stoeckig (1986)

The Consequences of Musical Expectancies

Harmonic context and phoneme monitoring

Bigand, Tillman, Poulin, D’Adamo & Madurell (2001)

The Consequences of Musical Expectancies

Harmonic context and phoneme monitoring

Bigand, Tillman, Poulin, D’Adamo & Madurell (2001)

The Consequences of Musical Expectancies

Expectancy and memory

Schmuckler (1997)