12Evolutionary Origins of Music Flashcards
(43 cards)
Which early great apes from around 2.3 million years ago had larger brains (& greater cognitive ability) than earlier apes, & were probably making primitive tools?;
Which great apes were probably making more sophisticated tools around 1.8 million years ago?
Homo habilis;
Homo erectus
When does evidence show early forms of music to emerge?
Over 50,000 years ago (making tools); singing probably emerged well before
Why would anatomical properties of sight & hearing have evolved?
To enhance survival & reproduction (allowing animals to avoid predators & find food & mates)
Evolutionary adaptations can evolve through either of which two processes?
Sexual selection - promotes reproduction (passing on genes that encode a particular trait; e.g. peacock feathers for attraction); & Natural selection - promotes survival (in order to pass on genes; e.g. avoid predators); both processes give rise to the other
What’s the definition of the process of adaptation?
“Structures with modern functions that are equivalent to those that were originally selected because they conferred a survival or reproductive benefit”
According to adaptationist accounts, what’s the evidence that music is an evolutionary adaptation?
Music is innate; is highly complex (the degree of complexity is not culturally determined); has a modular structure (considered a distinct type of intelligence); is not a recent cultural phenomenon (it’s thousands of yrs old – perhaps as old as language)
Name 3 discoveries that suggest music is not a recent phenomenon
Ancient bone flute in Germany; electron spin dating around 37,000 yrs ago; it’s likely singing predated the bone flute up to 250,000 yrs ago
What was Darwin’s (1872) theory based on reproductive benefits of music?
That music has its origin in the evolutionary process of sexual selection; (he originally said it’s unnecessary for survival; then that it evokes strong emotions; & finally that sounds evolve for reproductive purposes); male animals vocalize most during breeding season to display anger, attraction & jealousy
What evidence has been found that supports Darwin’s theory?
Not all mating calls are sexually dimorphic; music is associated with other attractive features (to a mate), such as extraversion/confidence, physical movement prowess (rhythm), aerobic fitness (dancing), & musical novelty (can manipulate through violating expectations)
Does the idea of sexually dimorphic traits (being disproportionately evident in one sex; e.g. male) extend to human musicality?
Perhaps an element of it; the industry is still male dominated; productivity peaks at around age 30 (mating effort & activity peak)
Many attractive traits are not sexually dimorphic (e.g. athletic skill) but still might be a sexually selected trait. Describe some similarities between athletes & musicians
Takes over 10 yrs of practice to acquire skill; skills possessed by a fraction of the population; expertise demonstrated individually or through group performance; skills are required (e.g. motor control, anticipation, timing & planning); enjoyed by the population (enhance group cohesion & personal identity)
Balancing strong emotions with objective goals are also shared between athletes & musicians (e.g. scoring goals/medals; articulating voices in polyphonic music), but there is a difference. What is it?
Emotional meaning is more nuanced in music
Despite a possible overlapping for the origins of music in sexually selected traits, there are 5 other theories for the origins of music based on survival benefits. Explain the Nurturing Social Bonds theory.
Music evolved because of its capacity to promote group cohesion & cooperation; music can influence arousal & mood states, & sharing these may enhance social bonds
Explain the Training Coordinated Movement theory
Music evolved as a means for developing skills of coordinated movement (through drumming, chanting, clapping & singing); rhythmic elements engage skills of regulated movement, which could benefit group tasks such as hunting & herding; (doesn’t explain other musical elements so lacks specificity)
Explain the Enhancing Cognitive & Social Skills theory proposed by Cross (2003)
Protomusical behaviours provide a means for cognitive & social flexibility; Music is not tied to specific functions & is transposable, & this flexibility allows it to function in a wide range of contexts & across cultures; it enhances skills that are beneficial for development into adulthood
Explain the Promoting Emotional Conjoinment theory proposed by Dissanayake (2000);
Music & dance originated as part of a multi-modal system of parent-offspring communication (through vocalisations, body movements & facial expressions), promoting emotional connections/bonds
Along similar lines as Dissanayake, what did Trevarthen emphasise?
The developmental significance of protomusical behaviours in infant-caregiver interactions; the infant engages in vocal & kinesthetic patterns that integrate multimodal sensory information, & allows a sharing of emotional states, aiding in social & personal development
Describe the Affective Engagement hypothesis proposed by Livingstone & Thompson (2006)
Music allows the ability & motivation to attune to & influence the affective states of other humans (not unique to music but other domains which share a common ancestry; e.g. theatre, dance & visual arts); these cultural activities perhaps enabled a new cognitive capacity for homo sapiens (theory of mind)
Describe Theory of Mind
It refers to the capacity to take the perspective of others, (e.g. beliefs, desires, emotions & intentions), to more effectively understand, predict & influence their behaviours; provides a means for understanding others as beings whose actions & interactions are strongly guided by their affective states; also allows the ability to construct & employ abstractions or metarepresentations & their interrelations
According to non-adaptationists, music emerged from activities & processing capacities adapted from purposes other than music. What do the 4 non-adaptationist mechanisms include?
Genetic drift; laws of growth & form (e.g. general relations between brain & body size); direct induction of form by environmental forces such as water currents or gravity; exaptation (when new uses are made of parts that were adapted for some other function)
An exaptation performs a completely different function from the one for which it evolved. It involves putting old structures to new uses (e.g. feathers were initially selected for insulation, not for flight). What’s modified in exaptation?
The phenotype (observable structures & behaviours) is modified with no corresponding change to the genotype/genetic code (e.g. a spandrel is an architectural by product that is also visually appealing)
Some musical elements may be adaptations, & others exaptations. How does music relate to exaptation?
Music is made up of an interaction of elements; many musical qualities are processed in separate neural areas, therefore musical elements may have different origins; pitch contour/melody may have been an exaptation of speech prosody; rhythm might build on different traits, such as timing mechanisms used to coordinate physical motion
What’s Pinker’s (1997) theory about music as a human technology?
Music was designed as a human technology to induce pleasure by activating & challenging several distinct cognitive functions; music activates auditory scene analysis; neural processes are activated by various properties of music (using processes associated with speech prosody; emotional vocalisations; & environmental sounds)
According to Pinker, music was invented because humans find it pleasurable to engage in processes involved in what?;
He also proposes the idea of Continuism. What is this?
Perception in vocal patterns; sounds in the environment; animal calls;
Music & other animal signals have common origins
