Lai Philip T
San Diego State University, California, United States of America.
University of California San. Diego, California, United States of America.
Music Med. 2020 Apr 24;12(2):122-129. doi: 10.47513/mmd.v12i2.686.
Williams syndrome (WS) is a neurodevelopmental genetic disorder. Of interest to cognitive scientists is the uneven cognitive profile that is characteristic of the syndrome. In spite of mild to moderate intellectual disability, a complex pattern of strengths and weaknesses is found in their cognitive abilities. Strengths are seen in linguistic abilities and facial processing whereas weaknesses include visuo-spatial skills and conceptual reasoning abilities. Numerous anecdotes exist regarding musical abilities in individuals with WS. To elaborate on the neuropsychological profile of WS and particularly to better understand the affinity to music in individuals with WS, the present study examined the perception and production of music in this population. Results revealed that overall, individuals with WS were more expressive than typically developing individuals when they were involved with music. This study serves to further characterize this unique social and cognitive profile of individuals with WS, adding an affinity to music as a characteristic of their phenotype.
威廉姆斯综合征（WS）是一种神经发育性遗传疾病。该综合征具有的认知特征不均衡，这一点引起了认知科学家的兴趣。尽管存在轻度至中度智力障碍，但在他们的认知能力中发现了一种复杂的优势与劣势模式。优势体现在语言能力和面部处理方面，而劣势则包括视觉空间技能和概念推理能力。关于威廉姆斯综合征患者的音乐能力，有许多趣闻轶事。为了详细阐述威廉姆斯综合征的神经心理学特征，特别是为了更好地理解威廉姆斯综合征患者对音乐的喜爱，本研究考察了该群体对音乐的感知和表现。结果显示，总体而言，威廉姆斯综合征患者在参与音乐活动时比正常发育个体更具表现力。这项研究有助于进一步刻画威廉姆斯综合征患者这种独特的社会和认知特征，将对音乐的喜爱作为其表型特征之一补充进来。
