Wednesday November 8th, 2023, from 3:30 to 4:45 p.m., followed by a cocktail.
Université de Montréal, Pavilion Marie-Victorin, Room D-427
The recording of the lecture is available: here
Patterns of Transfer: Music Training as a Cognitive Intervention
Abstract: Music training, commonly associated with enhanced cognitive performance in children and young adults, has the capacity to rewire neural pathways with age. In addition to associational studies, there are a growing number of longitudinal studies in adults that suggest formal music training may enhance executive functions or mitigate age-related decline. Our lab examines the effects of manualized musical training interventions on cognitive, sensory, motor, and social outcomes in older adults. This talk will provide an overview of research examining the effects of music training programs on executive functions in aging while examining how these areas of cognitive and sensory performance map onto components of successful cognitive interventions. Future research directions will be discussed.
Bio: Jennifer Bugos is a Professor of Music Education at the University of South Florida in Tampa. She teaches undergraduate coursework in music education and graduate coursework in music cognition while advising an interdisciplinary lab (Coordination and Cognition Across the Lifespan in Music; CALM lab). In addition to completing her professional education in music education (BM, MM, Ph.D. with a minor in Gerontology), Bugos completed post-doctoral work at the UF Clinical-Cognitive Neuroscience Laboratory under the direction of Dr. William Perlstein. Dr. Bugos’ research interests include the neurological basis for music perception and cognition with regard to human development, lifelong learning, and cognitive transfer. Her interests have led to the development of new music education programs for healthy and clinical populations of children (Multimodal Music Training), and for adults (Keys to Staying Sharp; Piano for Parkinson’s). In 2020, Bugos served as a Visiting Scientist at the Rotman Research Institute in Toronto and worked with Claude Alain. In 2023, she received a Fulbright Scholar mid-career award in Psychology to work with Shayna Rosenbaum at York University.
