Investigations of the links between music, emotion and reward, Valorie Salimpoor

Investigations of the links between music, emotion and reward, Valorie Salimpoor, Ph.D. candidate, Zlab, MNI, McGill University

Abstract:

Many individuals spend significant time, effort and money towards obtaining music-related experiences.  Why are humans so motivated to obtain a non-tangible abstract reward: hearing a mere sequence of tones? And how does a piece of music initially become pleasurable?  In a series of experiments using a variety of behavioural and brain imaging techniques, we explore the links between music, emotion and reward in an effort to better understand why humans are so drawn to music and why it has persisted for so long.

Sponsored by the Centre for Research on Brain, Language and Music, the lecture takes place on Wednesday, 23 November at 15:30 in Room 501, Goodman Cancer Centre, McGill Life Sciences Complex, 1160 Pine ave. West

Bio:

Valorie Salimpoor is a senior PhD student at McGill University and Montreal Neurological Institute working with Dr. Robert Zatorre.  She obtained her B.Sc. degree from the University of Toronto in Psychology and Neuroscience, and M.A. degree in Clinical Psychology at York University, followed by a year of training at the Stanford Cognitive and Systems Neuroscience Laboratory.  Her interests include frontal lobe function and fronto-striatal connectivity, and how this relates to music, emotion, and reward processing.  Her current projects involve the neuroeconomics of music purchasing decisions and the involvement of the dopamine reinforcement circuit.

This research seminar is open to all!

INFO: (514) 398.6962