The perception of sound plays an essential part in the lives of most individuals. Hearing conversation or enjoying music provide some obvious examples. Other examples are less obvious, such as, the effect of music in film, or the emotional meaning conveyed by intonation of the voice. Our laboratory research is aimed at understanding how humans recognize, remember, and interpret these meaningful sound patterns.

There are two main branches of our research. The first focuses on memory for sequences of sounds, otherwise known as the problem of auditory sequential memory. This work is supported by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council. The other branch focuses on the role of music in audiovisual contexts, in particular, the role of music on the interpretation, memory, and appreciation of cinema, video and other multimedia. This work is supported by Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council. Our work is typically undertaken in the context of a broad lifespan developmental picture. We are interested in understanding how individuals acquire auditory skills and how these skills change across the lifespan from childhood to senior years, be it memory for sequences, identification of emotion, or integration of musical and visual information. We are also interested in the therapeutic uses of music and in the health aspect of hearing.


The laboratory serves as a focal point for the Island Acoustics Society that is beginning its fourth year of operation. With support from a variety of institutions, departments, businesses, and industries, 4 or 5 meetings each year are organized that bring people together from across the Island to discuss or learn about issues related to the science of sound.

Thus, the Auditory Perception and Music Cognition laboratory fosters research in a wide variety of areas that connect with human auditory perception: Sequential memory, film interpretation and film memory, perceptual and cognitive development of children, and the acquisition of sensitivity to musical grammar. The talents of students, assistants, and technical staff serve important functions for the success of this laboratory and make the laboratory an exciting multidisciplinary environment in which to work toward uncovering new knowledge about auditory and music pattern recognition.