Music Cognition Matters - Orchestrating Imagination: The Role of Visual Mental Imagery in Music Cognition
Event details
In the realm of music cognition, the primary focus of imagery research has been on auditory mental imagery, which refers to the quasi-perceptual experience of sound and music in the absence of related external sensory input. However, recent studies reveal that other modalities, like visual mental imagery (i.e., seeing images in one's mind’s eye), also significantly contribute to the experience of listening to music. This presentation will offer a summary of new empirical research on music-triggered visual mental imagery, addressing fundamental questions such as its content, purpose, connection to emotion, neurophysiological underpinnings, and association with synaesthesia. The core argument posits that music cognition is a multimodal phenomenon that presents a valuable model for exploring the pathways from perception to imagination.
Mats Küssner
Mats B. Küssner is a Lecturer in the Department of Musicology and Media Studies at Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin and a Visiting Research Fellow in the Department of Psychology at Goldsmiths, University of London. His research focuses on multimodal perception and mental imagery of music, emotional responses to music, and performance science. He has published more than 30 peer-reviewed articles and book chapters and is principal editor of ‘Music and Mental Imagery’ (Routledge, 2022). Recognized for his work, Mats has received the Aubrey Hickman Award from SEMPRE and a teaching award from Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin. His ongoing research efforts continue to shed light on the intricate relationship between music and the embodied mind.