Music and language are both deeply rooted in our biology, but scientists have given far more attention to the neurological, biological and evolutionary roots of language than those of music. Because of this, and probably partially due to this, the purpose of music, in evolutionary terms, remains a mystery. Our brain, physiology and psychology make us capable of producing and listening to music since early infancy; therefore, our biology and behaviour are carrying some of the clues that need to be revealed to understand what music is “for”. Furthermore, music and language have a deep relationship, particularly in terms of cognitive processing, that can provide clues about the origins of music. Non-verbal behaviours, including voice characteristics during speech, are an important form of communication that enables individual recognition and assessment of the speaker’s physical characteristics (including sex, femininity/masculinity, body size, physical strength, and attractiveness). Vocal parameters, however, can be intentionally varied, for example altering the intensity (loudness), rhythm and pitch during speech. This is classically demonstrated in infant directed speech (IDS), in which adults alter vocal characteristics such as pitch, cadence and intonation contours when speaking to infants. In this thesis, I analyse vocal modulation and its perception in human social interaction, in different social contexts such as courtship and authority ranking relationships. Results show that specific vocal modulations, akin to those of IDS, and perhaps music, play a role in communicating courtship intent. Based on these results, as well the body of current knowledge, I then propose a model for the evolution of musicality, the human capacity to process musical information, in relation to human vocal communication. I suggest that musicality may not be limited to specifically musical contexts, and can have a role in other domains such as language, which would provide further support for a common origin of language and music. This model supports the hypothesis of a stage in human evolution in which individuals communicated using a music-like protolanguage, a hypothesis first suggested by Darwin.

published_or_final_version / Education / Master / Master of Education

Parsimonious voice leading is a term, first used by Richard Cohn, to describe non-diatonic motion among triads that will preserve as many common tones as possible, while limiting the distance traveled by the voice that does move to a tone or, better yet, a semitone. Some scholars have applied these principles to seventh chords, laying the groundwork for this study, which strives toward a reasonably comprehensive, usable model for musical analysis. Rather than emphasizing mathematical proofs, as a number of approaches have done, this study relies on two- and three-dimensional geometric visualizations and spatial analogies to describe pitch-class and harmonic relationships. These geometric realizations are based on the organization of the neo-Riemannian Tonnetz, but they expand and apply the organizational principles of the Tonnetz to seventh sonorities. It allows for the descriptive “mapping” or prescriptive “navigation” of harmonic paths through a defined space. The viability of the theoretical model is examined in analyses of passages from the repertoire of Frédéric Chopin. These passages exhibit a harmonic syntax that is often difficult to analyze as anything other than “tonally unstable” or “transitional.” This study seeks to analyze these passages in terms of what they are, rather than what they are not.

During the production of paper in paper mills, detrimental wood resin is released into the water circuit of the mill during the pulping process of the wood into fibres. This wood resin, termed pitch, can detrimentally deposit on the paper and on the paper machine equipment. The deposits mark the paper or can lead to a tear of the paper web involving a loss of output and a reduction in paper quality. Furthermore, the wood resinous compounds in paper mill effluents need to be reduced in order to minimise their toxic effects on water organisms. Talc has been the benchmark for many years as a mineral additive in pitch control. Since the papermaking process has changed over the years, the concept of mineral addition needs to be redefined and adopted towards the new circumstances. By understanding the fundamentals behind the adsorption of wood resin compounds from aqueous systems on to talc new mineral additives can be developed. A model for the determination of the aspect ratio of platy and rod-like particles has been developed, based on commonly available characterisations such as particle size, specific surface area and shape. It was found that the adsorption capacity of a mineral is directly proportional to its specific surface area, but only within its mineral family. Including the effect of surface hydrophilicity and hydrophobicity allowed fine tuning of the adsorption capacity of newly developed calcium carbonate grades. Furthermore, size exclusion effects, in porous, high surface area modified calcium carbonate, were seen to hinder complete coverage of the surface area by wood resin. With increasing pH, the adsorption efficiency of talc for colloidal wood resin was found to decrease. Under these alkaline conditions, which are common in modern paper making processes, talc preferentially adsorbed dissolved species. The use of the newly developed surface treated and modified calcium carbonates allowed more efficient adsorption of the colloidal fraction and, therefore, represent an efficient alternative to talc in pitch control. An increase in temperature led to an increased adsorption capacity of talc. This observation indicates the type of interaction tat controls the adsorption of hydrophobic pitch particles onto talc, i.e. the entropically favoured release of water from the hydrophobic talc surface as well as the hydrophobic methylene backbone of the hemicellulose.

This thesis presents an analysis of Copland's first major serial work, the Quartet for Piano and Strings (1950), using pitch-class set theory and tonal analytical techniques.

Tato práce hledá souvislost mezi intonačním rozpětím a přívětivostí, která je podle Pětifaktorového modelu považována za jednu ze složek osobnosti. Jelikož zkoumání projevů osobnostních rysů v hlase není ve fonetickém výzkumu příliš běžné, je v teoretické části popsán sou- časný stav poznání v oblasti postojů, popisu osobnosti a prvních do- jmů v hodnocení osobnosti. Představeny jsou především studie, které se týkají působení řeči. Jádrem práce je experiment, v němž je porov- náván vliv tří úrovní intonačního rozpětí (komprimovaná, normální a expandovaná) na hodnocení přívětivosti u 15 českých mluvčí. Per- cepčního testu se účastnilo 41 respondentů Intonačnímu rozpětí je věnována samostatná kapitola, která se zaměřuje především na pro- blematická místa popisu. Statistická analýza neprokázala významné rozdíly mezi úrovněmi rozpětí, podrobnější rozbor se tak zaměřil na odhalení rušivých proměnných a popis slabších trendů. Klíčová slova: intonační rozpětí, melodie řeči, vnímání mluvčího, stereo- typní hodnocení Abstract The purpose of the current study is to establish the relationship be- tween pitch range and agreeableness which is viewed as one of the personality traits according to the Big Five model. As the focus on the manifestation of personality traits in speech is not very common in phonetic...

Children with cochlear implants (CI) have difficulty perceiving pitch differences, which contributes to poor melodic perception. Aims/Methods. This study investigated how children with bilateral CIs (n = 23, M = 6,9 years) and children with normal hearing (NH) (n = 27, M = 7,2 years) were able to discriminate pitch intervals with a semitone as the smallest difference, and recognize melodies presented without lyrics in two conditions: as a melody and as a melody combined with pictures. An interview related to music was also conducted. Results. Children with bilateral CIs achieved very high scores on the pitch discrimination task. Children with NH surpassed the children with bilateral CIs at identifying songs without pictures (children with CIs 11%, NH 52%) and together with pictures (CIs 30%, NH 83%).  Measurement of effect size showed moderate to strong differences between children with CIs/NH. The interview findings showed positive attitudes towards music, with 77% of the children with CIs (versus 100% of children with NH) saying they enjoyed listening to music, had favourite artists and favourite songs. Conclusion. Children with CIs demonstrated a very good ability to discriminate pitch differences, but scored low on melody recognition tasks. The results confirm that melody recognition is demanding for children with CIs. In spite of the difficulty CIs have transmitting musical information, these children with CIs as a group have developed positive attitudes towards music. This finding suggests the potential capacity of CIs in relationship to music, but even more the potential capacity of growing children’s brains.     Barn med cochleaimplantat (CI) har svårighet att uppfatta skillnader i tonhöjd, vilket påverkar förmågan att identifiera melodier. Syfte/metod. Syftet var att studera hur barn med bilaterala CI (n = 23, M = 6,9 år) kunde diskriminera mellan tonhöjdsintervall med en semiton som minsta enhet och identifiera fem barnsångsmelodier jämfört med barn med normal hörsel (NH), (n = 27, M = 7,2 år). Melodierna presenterades i två betingelser: utan stöd av bilder (UB) samt med stöd av bilder (MB). Dessutom genomfördes en intervju om musik. Resultat. Förmågan att diskriminera tonhöjdsskillnader var mycket god. Melodier (UB): barn med CI klarade 11 %, barn med NH 52 %. Melodier (MB): barn med CI klarade 30 %, barn med NH 83 %. Analys av effektstyrka mätt i Cohens d visade moderata till stora skillnader mellan barn med CI/NH. Deskriptiv analys av intervjuerna visade positiva attityder till musik och att 77 % av barn med CI (100 % av barn med NH) tyckte om att lyssna på musik, och att flera barn hade favoritartister och favoritlåtar. Slutsats. Barn med CI hade mycket god förmåga att uppfatta tonhöjdsskillnader, men hade svårt att identifiera melodier. Resultatet bekräftar att melodiigenkänning är krävande för barn med CI. Trots de begränsningar som CI har beträffande musikåtergivning har barnen som grupp positiva attityder till musik. Det torde säga en del om den potential CI har i relation till musik, men ännu mer om den stora kapacitet som uppväxande barns hjärnor har.

Orientador: Graziela Bortz / Coorientador: Hugo Cogo Moreira / Banca: Adriana Lopes da Cunha Moreira / Banca: Patrícia Maria Vanzella / Resumo: O fenômeno do Ouvido Absoluto (OA) tem sido muito estudado e discutido no último século, havendo uma grande quantidade de artigos dedicados à reflexão sobre as peculiaridades desta habilidade. Ao observarmos as definições utilizadas pelos diversos pesquisadores ao longo de todos esses anos, pode-se identificar que a principal característica do traço cognitivo reside na capacidade dos portadores em reconhecer e identificar tons utilizando-se de rótulos verbais (mais especificamente nome de notas) sem nenhum tipo de referência externa (como por exemplo, um diapasão). No entanto, as definições encontradas na bibliografia sobre o tematambém incluem diversos critérios mais específicos, não consensuais, elencados por diferentes pesquisadores na busca por uma compreensão mais acurada desta habilidade cognitiva. Nesse contexto, é importante apontar alguns questionamentos: quais são os critérios pertinentes para uma definição precisa doOA? Considerando um dado conjunto de critérios, eles são realmente capazes de explicar satisfatoriamente e adequadamente a estrutura subjacente desta habilidade cognitiva? Assim, o objetivo geral do trabalho é realizar uma grande revisão crítica da literatura sobre o OA, que se iniciará pelo levantamento da estrutura teórica de definição do fenômeno apresentada nos primeiros artigos sobre o tema. Em seguida, serão apresentadas discussões sobre as perspectivas mais recentes sobre a habilidade do OA, incluindo considerações sobre as suas diferentes variáveis. Por fim, serão também abordadas algumas discussões sobre as inter-relações entre o OA e a habilidade cognitiva conhecida como Ouvido Relativo (OR), uma habilidade muito importante no âmbito musical / Abstract: The cognitive phenomenon known as Absolute Pitch (AP) has been much studied and discussed over the last century, with a vast quantity of papers dedicated to the reflection on the peculiarities of this ability. Aswe observe varied the definitions used by many researchers, it is possible to identify that the main characteristic of the phenomenon is the capacity to recognize and identify tones using verbal labels (more specifically note names) without any kind of external reference (as apitch fork). However, the definitions also include many specific criteria, non-consensual, pointed by different researchers in their search for a more accurate comprehension of this cognitive phenomenon. In this context, it is important to point out somequestions: what are the pertinent criteria for a precise definition of the AP ability? Considering a specific group of criteria, are they really capable of satisfactorily and adequately explaining the subjacent structure of this cognitive phenomenon? Considering these questions, the main objective of this dissertation is to present a critical review of the literature on AP, which willbegin with the survey of the theoretical structure of definition of the phenomenon presentedon the first papers on this subject. These will be followed by discussions on the more recent perspectives on the AP phenomenon, including considerations on its different variables. In the end, some discussions will be presented regarding the relations between AP and the cognitive ability known as Relative Pitch (RP), a very important ability in the musical field / Mestre

O ouvido absoluto é descrito como a habilidade de nomear ou produzir notas musicais sem uma referência externa. Estudos recentes sugerem o processamento mais rápido de informação linguística em pessoas que possuem a habilidade. Sabe-se que conteúdo rítmico é um elemento essencial para o processamento linguístico. No entanto, não se sabe se pessoas com ouvido absoluto processam informação rítmica de maneira distinta. O objetivo deste trabalho foi verificar as possíveis diferenças entre portadores e não portadores de ouvido absoluto no processamento de padrões rítmicos em estímulos sonoros. Dezesseis participantes, sendo 8 com ouvido absoluto e 8 sem a habilidade foram submetidos a uma tarefa psicofísica, na qual deveriam reproduzir sequências rítmicas, com acurácia. Como critério de comparação, consideraram-se o número de intervalos produzidos e a evolução da acurácia temporal ao longo da tarefa. Não se observaram diferenças significativas entre os grupos. Os resultados sugerem que, no processamento de informação rítmica não há participação significativa de processos nervosos especificamente presentes apenas em pessoas com ouvido absoluto / Absolute pitch is described as the ability to name or produce musical notes without an external reference. Recent studies suggest faster processing of linguistic information in people with this skill. It is known that rhythmic content is an essential element for linguistic processing. However, it is not known whether people with absolute pitch process rhythmic information differently. The objective of this work was to verify whether differences exist between absolute pitch and non-absolute pitch possessors in processing rhythmic patterns in sound stimuli. Sixteen participants, 8 with absolute pitch and 8 without the ability, underwent a psychophysical task, in which they were asked to reproduce as accurately as possible rhythmic sequences presented to them. As a criterion of performance, we considered the number of intervals produced and the evolution of temporal accuracy as the task was carried out. No significant difference was found between the two groups. The results suggest that in the processing of rhythmic information there is no significant participation of nervous circuitry specifically present only in absolute pitch possessors

Este trabalho apresenta um estudo experimental acerca da influência da razão de espaçamento e da intensidade de turbulência no escoamento biestável. É estudado o escoamento sobre dois cilindros dispostos lado a lado, para o canal aerodinâmico com intensidade de turbulência inferior a 1%, para o canal aerodinâmico com grade promotora de turbulência com intensidade de turbulência de 8 a 7%, e para uma seção do canal aerodinâmico sem paredes laterais. A técnica experimental aplicada consiste na medição das flutuações de velocidade no canal aerodinâmico utilizando a técnica da anemometria de fio quente. As medições são realizadas com duas sondas, uma fixa e outra móvel que foi posicionada em seis pontos diferentes do escoamento. Os dados medidos são tratados através de ferramentas estatísticas, análise espectral e transformadas de ondaletas. Os resultados confirmam a existência do fenômeno da biestabilidade e mostram como o fenômeno sofre alterações quando exposto às condições de maior intensidade de turbulência e redução da razão de bloqueio pela retirada das paredes laterais em uma seção do canal. Para a condição de maior intensidade de turbulência, os resultados mostram que as trocas de modo se intensificam, e em alguns dos pontos de medição os sinais referentes à sonda móvel não apresentam características de biestabilidade. Para o caso sem paredes laterais, os sinais apresentam características de biestabilidade até o momento em que as paredes são removidas. / This work presents an experimental study, about the influence of the pitch to diameter ratio and the turbulence intensity on a bistable flow. The flow through two cylinders side-by-side is studied in an aerodynamic channel with turbulence intensity lower than 1%, in an aerodynamic channel with a turbulence grid, that increased the turbulence intensity to about 8 to 7%, and a section of the aerodynamic channel without lateral walls. The experimental technique consists in the measurements of the fluctuating velocities in the aerodynamic channel, using hot wire anemometry. The measurements are performed with two probes, one static, and one movable, positioned in six different points of the flow. The acquired data are analysed through statistical, spectral and wavelet tools. The results confirmed the occurrence of the bistable phenomenon and shows how it behaves when exposed to different conditions of turbulence intensity, and reduction of the blockage ratio aspect due to removal of the lateral walls of a channel section. The results for the higher turbulence intensity condition shows that the switches are intensified, some data resulting of the measurements of the second probe, do not show bistable characteristics. In the no-walls section case, the signals showed bistable features, until the moment the walls were removed.