Featured Publications
How games can make behavioural science better
Long B, Simson J, Buxó-Lugo A, Watson D, Mehr S. How games can make behavioural science better. Nature 2023, 613: 433-436. PMID: 36650244, DOI: 10.1038/d41586-023-00065-6.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchAcoustic regularities in infant-directed speech and song across cultures
Hilton C, Moser C, Bertolo M, Lee-Rubin H, Amir D, Bainbridge C, Simson J, Knox D, Glowacki L, Alemu E, Galbarczyk A, Jasienska G, Ross C, Neff M, Martin A, Cirelli L, Trehub S, Song J, Kim M, Schachner A, Vardy T, Atkinson Q, Salenius A, Andelin J, Antfolk J, Madhivanan P, Siddaiah A, Placek C, Salali G, Keestra S, Singh M, Collins S, Patton J, Scaff C, Stieglitz J, Cutipa S, Moya C, Sagar R, Anyawire M, Mabulla A, Wood B, Krasnow M, Mehr S. Acoustic regularities in infant-directed speech and song across cultures. Nature Human Behaviour 2022, 6: 1545-1556. PMID: 35851843, PMCID: PMC10101735, DOI: 10.1038/s41562-022-01410-x.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsAcoustic featuresAdult-directed speechInfant-directed speechEnglish language websitesRecordings of infantsLinguistic relatednessAcoustic regularitiesListeners' sensitivityHuman communicationPsychological functionsAcoustic differencesSmall-scale societiesSongsSpeechAcoustic profilesCultureVocalizationsCommunicationLanguagePeopleListenersVocalizerMusicSocietyCommon setUniversality and diversity in human song
Mehr S, Singh M, Knox D, Ketter D, Pickens-Jones D, Atwood S, Lucas C, Jacoby N, Egner A, Hopkins E, Howard R, Hartshorne J, Jennings M, Simson J, Bainbridge C, Pinker S, O'Donnell T, Krasnow M, Glowacki L. Universality and diversity in human song. Science 2019, 366 PMID: 31753969, PMCID: PMC7001657, DOI: 10.1126/science.aax0868.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchInfants relax in response to unfamiliar foreign lullabies
Bainbridge C, Bertolo M, Youngers J, Atwood S, Yurdum L, Simson J, Lopez K, Xing F, Martin A, Mehr S. Infants relax in response to unfamiliar foreign lullabies. Nature Human Behaviour 2020, 5: 256-264. PMID: 33077883, PMCID: PMC8220405, DOI: 10.1038/s41562-020-00963-z.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsMusical experienceMusical featuresListener experienceLullabiesAcoustic formForeign societiesFussy infantAdult listenersHuman mindDifferent culturesElectrodermal activitySongsBehavioral functionsInfant's parentsExperienceParentsMusicListenersPupillometryCultureInfantsMindFirst yearSocietyUS infantsFor 5-Month-Old Infants, Melodies Are Social
Mehr S, Song L, Spelke E. For 5-Month-Old Infants, Melodies Are Social. Psychological Science 2016, 27: 486-501. PMID: 26917211, DOI: 10.1177/0956797615626691.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsSelective attentionFamiliar melodiesRemarkable memoryNew personUnfamiliar melodiesUnfamiliar adultsFamiliar songsNovel individualsUnfamiliar songsSocial partnersDifferent melodiesMelodyNovel songsOlder infantsSong exposureSocial meaningPersonsToysMemorySongsInfantsInteractive videoParentsSingingAdultsUniversal interpretations of vocal music
Yurdum L, Singh M, Glowacki L, Vardy T, Atkinson Q, Hilton C, Sauter D, Krasnow M, Mehr S. Universal interpretations of vocal music. Proceedings Of The National Academy Of Sciences Of The United States Of America 2023, 120: e2218593120. PMID: 37676911, PMCID: PMC10500275, DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2218593120.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsVocal musicDance songsSmall-scale societiesUniversal interpretationHuman songMusical diversityMusical featuresUnfamiliar songsCultural contentUnfamiliar languageGlobal mediaMusicSongsCultural evolutionLullabiesAcoustic characteristicsListenersBehavioral contextSocietyPerceptual phenomenaContextSingersEnglishLanguagePerceptual sensitivityLanguage experience predicts music processing in a half-million speakers of fifty-four languages
Liu J, Hilton C, Bergelson E, Mehr S. Language experience predicts music processing in a half-million speakers of fifty-four languages. Current Biology 2023, 33: 1916-1925.e4. PMID: 37105166, PMCID: PMC10306420, DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2023.03.067.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsNon-tonal languagesNative speakersTonal languageTonal language speakersUse of pitchMusic perception skillsLanguage speakersLinguistic experienceDiverse languagesLanguage experienceLinguistic pitchPerception of pitchCultural differencesSpeakersLanguageLifelong experienceMusic perceptionMusic trainingPerception skillsMusic processingMusical beatAuditory processingMusical melodiesHuman mindMusic lessons
2024
Spectro-temporal acoustical markers differentiate speech from song across cultures
Albouy P, Mehr S, Hoyer R, Ginzburg J, Du Y, Zatorre R. Spectro-temporal acoustical markers differentiate speech from song across cultures. Nature Communications 2024, 15: 4835. PMID: 38844457, PMCID: PMC11156671, DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-49040-3.Peer-Reviewed Original Research
2023
Music, a piece of many puzzles in developmental science
Mehr S, Bortfeld H. Music, a piece of many puzzles in developmental science. Developmental Science 2023, 26: e13438. PMID: 37501524, DOI: 10.1111/desc.13438.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchChildren Infer the Behavioral Contexts of Unfamiliar Foreign Songs
Hilton C, Thierry L, Yan R, Martin A, Mehr S. Children Infer the Behavioral Contexts of Unfamiliar Foreign Songs. Journal Of Experimental Psychology General 2023, 152: 839-850. PMID: 36222671, PMCID: PMC10083193, DOI: 10.1037/xge0001289.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsBehavioral contextExperience of musicExtensive musical experienceMusic functionsMusical experienceMusical formMusical idiomMusical exposureSame songForeign songsEffect of experienceMusicWorld cultureAcoustical featuresKorean listenersBroader cultureChildren's inferencesSongsLullabiesHuman mindForeign languageUniversal linkOnline experimentSuch inferencesLarge sample
2022
Using machine learning to understand age and gender classification based on infant temperament
Gartstein M, Seamon D, Mattera J, Enlow M, Wright R, Perez-Edgar K, Buss K, LoBue V, Bell M, Goodman S, Spieker S, Bridgett D, Salisbury A, Gunnar M, Mliner S, Muzik M, Stifter C, Planalp E, Mehr S, Spelke E, Lukowski A, Groh A, Lickenbrock D, Santelli R, Du Rocher Schudlich T, Anzman-Frasca S, Thrasher C, Diaz A, Dayton C, Moding K, Jordan E. Using machine learning to understand age and gender classification based on infant temperament. PLOS ONE 2022, 17: e0266026. PMID: 35417495, PMCID: PMC9007342, DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0266026.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchCitizen science can help to alleviate the generalizability crisis
Hilton C, Mehr S. Citizen science can help to alleviate the generalizability crisis. Behavioral And Brain Sciences 2022, 45: e21. PMID: 35139973, DOI: 10.1017/s0140525x21000352.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchCitizen ScienceHumans
2021
Across demographics and recent history, most parents sing to their infants and toddlers daily
Yan R, Jessani G, Spelke E, de Villiers P, de Villiers J, Mehr S. Across demographics and recent history, most parents sing to their infants and toddlers daily. Philosophical Transactions Of The Royal Society B Biological Sciences 2021, 376: 20210089. PMID: 34719251, PMCID: PMC8558774, DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2021.0089.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsInfant-directed singingReliable individual differencesMost parentsFrequency of singingIndividual differencesPsychological functionsVoice modulationMusicSingingChild's ageSalient componentsEveryday natureSurvey of parentsParentsTechnological environmentParents' incomeRecent historyTheme issueHuman societyYoung familiesToddlersSocial impactInfantsDaily basisLatter effectToward a productive evolutionary understanding of music
Mehr S, Krasnow M, Bryant G, Hagen E. Toward a productive evolutionary understanding of music. Behavioral And Brain Sciences 2021, 44: e122. PMID: 34588071, PMCID: PMC10625480, DOI: 10.1017/s0140525x21000030.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchThe ability to predict actions of others from distributed cues is still developing in 6- to 8-year-old children
McMahon E, Kim D, Mehr S, Nakayama K, Spelke E, Vaziri-Pashkam M. The ability to predict actions of others from distributed cues is still developing in 6- to 8-year-old children. Journal Of Vision 2021, 21: 14-14. PMID: 34003244, PMCID: PMC8131995, DOI: 10.1167/jov.21.5.14.Peer-Reviewed Original Research
2020
Does greater morning sickness predict carrying a girl? Analysis of nausea and vomiting during pregnancy from retrospective report
Young N, La Rosa M, Mehr S, Krasnow M. Does greater morning sickness predict carrying a girl? Analysis of nausea and vomiting during pregnancy from retrospective report. Archives Of Gynecology And Obstetrics 2020, 303: 1161-1166. PMID: 33098451, DOI: 10.1007/s00404-020-05839-1.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsFetal sexMaternal ageFemale fetusesSignificant independent predictorsFemale fetal sexPurposeThe prevalenceSevere nauseaIndependent predictorsInternational web-based surveyFirst trimesterInclusion criteriaMorning sicknessSevere formNauseaPregnancyMale fetusesGeographic cohortWeb-based surveyParity statusFive hundredFetusesSelf-reported dataVomitingSexHigh frequencyOrigins of music in credible signaling
Mehr S, Krasnow M, Bryant G, Hagen E. Origins of music in credible signaling. Behavioral And Brain Sciences 2020, 44: e60. PMID: 32843107, PMCID: PMC7907251, DOI: 10.1017/s0140525x20000345.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsEvolution of musicOrigins of musicInfant-directed songHuman musicMusical behaviorMusical formMusicAltricial infantsCognitive phenomenaEffects of adaptationPsychological adaptationSocial bondingParental attentionCultural evolutionInterdisciplinary evidenceReceptionMate qualityMelodySongsProper domainCoordination abilityInfant careRhythmAdaptationDiverse categoriesOnline Developmental Science to Foster Innovation, Access, and Impact
Sheskin M, Scott K, Mills CM, Bergelson E, Bonawitz E, Spelke ES, Fei-Fei L, Keil FC, Gweon H, Tenenbaum JB, Jara-Ettinger J, Adolph KE, Rhodes M, Frank MC, Mehr SA, Schulz L. Online Developmental Science to Foster Innovation, Access, and Impact. Trends In Cognitive Sciences 2020, 24: 675-678. PMID: 32624386, PMCID: PMC7331515, DOI: 10.1016/j.tics.2020.06.004.Peer-Reviewed Original Research
2018
Sight-over-sound judgments of music performances are replicable effects with limited interpretability
Mehr S, Scannell D, Winner E. Sight-over-sound judgments of music performances are replicable effects with limited interpretability. PLOS ONE 2018, 13: e0202075. PMID: 30183719, PMCID: PMC6124715, DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0202075.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsMusic performanceListener judgmentsPerformance qualityForced-choice taskMusical expressivityTheatrical flairSound effectsReplicable effectsVisual informationActual judgmentsOpposite patternListenersJudgmentsSoundLimited interpretabilityVideoSightMusicMusiciansPerformersDifferent videosAudienceSound judgmentAudioExpressivityForm and Function in Human Song
Mehr S, Singh M, York H, Glowacki L, Krasnow M. Form and Function in Human Song. Current Biology 2018, 28: 356-368.e5. PMID: 29395919, PMCID: PMC5805477, DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2017.12.042.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsVocal musicMusical featuresSong functionsFunction ratingsDance songsHuman songSong formLove songsBrief excerptsParticipants' unfamiliarityPseudorandom sampleForm-function relationsSongsMusicExcerptsSmall-scale societiesSocial functionUniversal linkContextual featuresInternet usersActual functionExperiment 1DanceLullabiesListeners