Featured Publications
Universality 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 Research
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
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 effect
2018
Form 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