MAPLE Lab, Hamilton, ON

The MAPLE lab conducts empirical research that examines the psychological roots of the musical experience. We investigate musically-inspired questions such as how a performer’s body movements affect the way audiences “hear” music, why “moving-to-the-beat” improves the auditory experience, and how composers and performers communicate emotional meaning. Through this work we aim to contribute to issues of broad relevance to auditory perception and cognition: assessing theoretical frameworks of audio-visual integration, exploring sensorimotor interactions, and investigating parallels in the communication of emotion in language and music.