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Memory for Timbre

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Timbre: Acoustics, Perception, and Cognition

Part of the book series: Springer Handbook of Auditory Research ((SHAR,volume 69))

Abstract

Memory is a cognitive faculty that is of fundamental importance for human communication in speech and music. How humans retain and reproduce sequences of words and pitches has been studied extensively in the cognitive literature. However, the ability to retain timbre information in memory remains less well understood. Recent years have nonetheless witnessed an upsurge of interest in the study of timbre-related memory processes in experimental psychology and music cognition. This chapter provides the first systematic review of these developments. Following an outline of basic memory concepts, three questions are addressed. First, what are the memory processes that govern the ways in which the timbres of sound sequences are recognized? Predominantly focusing on data from short-term recognition experiments, this review addresses aspects of capacity and similarity, sequential structures, and maintenance processes. Second, is there interference of timbre with other attributes in auditory memory? In other words, how specific are memory systems for timbre and to what degree are they separate from memory systems for pitch and verbal information. Third, do vocal sounds and the sounds from familiar sources possess a special status in auditory memory and, if so, what could be the underlying mechanisms? The chapter concludes by proposing five basic principles of memory for timbre and a discussion of promising avenues for future research.

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Acknowledgements

KS was supported by a Carl von Ossietzky Young Researcher’s Fellowship from the University of Oldenburg.

Compliance with Ethics Requirements

Kai Siedenburg declares that he has no conflict of interest.

Daniel Müllensiefen declares that he has no conflict of interest.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Medical Physics and Acoustics, Carl von Ossietzky Universität Oldenburg, Oldenburg, Germany

    Kai Siedenburg

  2. Department of Psychology, Goldsmiths, University of London, London, UK

    Daniel Müllensiefen

Authors
  1. Kai Siedenburg
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  2. Daniel Müllensiefen
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Kai Siedenburg .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Medical Physics and Acoustics, Carl von Ossietzky Universität Oldenburg, Oldenburg, Germany

    Kai Siedenburg

  2. Audio Communication Group, Technische Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany

    Charalampos Saitis

  3. Schulich School of Music, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada

    Stephen McAdams

  4. Department of Biology, University of Maryland, Collage Park, MD, USA

    Arthur N. Popper

  5. Department of Psychology, Loyola University Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA

    Richard R. Fay

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Siedenburg, K., Müllensiefen, D. (2019). Memory for Timbre. In: Siedenburg, K., Saitis, C., McAdams, S., Popper, A., Fay, R. (eds) Timbre: Acoustics, Perception, and Cognition. Springer Handbook of Auditory Research, vol 69. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-14832-4_4

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