Dynamic hierarchical cognition: Music and language demand further types of abstracta

Behav Brain Sci. 2020 Jun 19:43:e143. doi: 10.1017/S0140525X1900308X.

Abstract

Hierarchical structures are rapidly and flexibly built up in the domains of human language and music. These domains require a tree-building capacity - "dendrophilia" - to dynamically infer hierarchical structures from sensory input (or to hierarchically structure output), based on subunits stored in a lexicon. This dynamic process involves a crucial class of abstracta overlooked in the target article.

Publication types

  • Comment

MeSH terms

  • Brain
  • Cognition
  • Humans
  • Language
  • Music*