David Huron
University of California, San Diego.
November 21, 2000
Musical minds are both biological and cultural entities. In this presentation I will attempt to integrate the biological and cultural approaches to the study of music. A biological perspective begins with an understanding of the evolutionary origins of the auditory system and recognizing that learning itself is an adaptive biological process. A cultural perspective begins by understanding the ecology of ideas and the myriad functions of social interaction. I will describe a number of research projects that examine cultural differences and similarities from an integrated perspective.