Cognitive Neuroscience of Music, ScB
Advisor:Â Andrea Simmons
Thesis:Â Aberrations in time:Â The effects of music-elicited emotions on time perception in film
Thesis Advisors:Â Andrea Simmons, Amitai Shenhav, Marc Perlman
The Cognitive Neuroscience of Music is the study of the mechanisms that underlie music
perception, creativity, composition, cognition, reading, and performing. Using a scientific framework, this independent concentration explored topics from language and music, to the neural correlates of musical emotion, to music memory and the evolutionary theories of music.
My thesis explores the effect of music on our perception of time in film, and whether this effect is mediated by music-elicited arousal. Using psychometric and psychophysiological methods, I investigated emotional responses and time estimates of film extracts in three conditions: with music, without music, and music on its own.
Acknowledgments:Â I would like to thank my advisor, Andrea Simmons for inspiring me, supporting me in pursuing my interest in the field, and helping me throughout the research process. I have learned so much throughout this process thanks to her. I would also like to thank James Wilmott who taught me a lot about pupil measurements, data analysis, and inspired in me the self-confidence I needed to complete my research. Thanks to their support, the thesis process will be an inspiring experience for me, moving forward.Â
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"Congratulations on successful completion of a challenging course of study and impactful thesis. Working with you and watching your intellectual growth was a high point of my career at Brown." --Andrea Simmons
