Department of Psychology, The University of Chicago, IL 60637, USA.
Psychol Sci. 2013 Aug;24(8):1496-502. doi: 10.1177/0956797612473310. Epub 2013 Jun 11.
Most people cannot name the musical note that corresponds to a particular pitch without being provided a reference note, but those people with absolute pitch (AP) can do this accurately. Early experience during a developmental period is often thought to convey identity and stability of the note categories in people with AP, but the plasticity of these categories has not been investigated. Here we provide the first evidence that the note categories of adults with AP can change with listening experience. Participants with AP showed shifts in perception in direct accord with prior exposure to music detuned by a fraction of a semitone. This suggests that the apparent stability of AP categories is conferred not by early experience but rather by the cultural norms adopted for tuning music.
大多数人如果没有提供参考音，就无法说出与特定音高相对应的乐音，但具有绝对音高（AP）的人可以准确地做到这一点。人们通常认为，在发展时期的早期经验会传达具有 AP 的人对音高类别的身份和稳定性的认识，但这些类别并没有被研究具有可塑性。在这里，我们首次提供证据表明，具有 AP 的成年人的音高类别可以随着听力经验的改变而改变。具有 AP 的参与者的感知转变与先前接触音乐时的音高相差半音的情况直接吻合。这表明，AP 类别的明显稳定性不是由早期经验赋予的，而是由用于调整音乐的文化规范赋予的。
