A new look at musical expectancy: The veridical versus the general in the mental organization of music

Abstract

This paper takes a step back from what we label ‘problem solving’ approaches to the psychology of music memory and processing. In contrast with generalised expectation theories of music processing, a hypothesis is proposed which is based on the idea that mental representations of music are largely based on a large library of individual pieces: Case-based memory. We argue that it is the activation of these memories that forms the critical aspect of musical experience. Furthermore, a specific hypothesis is proposed that it is possible to represent any new piece of music through the chaining together of different, pre-existing veridical segments of music, in contrast with ‘problem solving by generalization’ which determines expectation based on statistical/stylistic/ schematic factors. By adjusting segment length, or by forming new segments through repeated listenings, new music can be absorbed into an existing, growing mental database by chaining together existing veridical segments that match the incoming stimulus.