We compare the ability of amateur musicians and non-musicians in learning artificial auditory and visual categories that can be described as either rule-based (RB) or information-integration (II) category structures. RB categories are optimally learned using a reflective reasoning process, whereas II categories are optimally learned by integrating information from two stimulus dimensions at a reflexive, pre-decisional processing stage. Across two experiments, we found that music experience was beneficial to learning auditory categories. In Experiment 1, musicians enrolled in a music college demonstrated advantages over non-musicians in learning RB auditory categories defined on pitch frequency and duration dimensions but did not demonstrate differences in learning II auditory categories or either RB or II visual categories. In Experiment 2, a broader online sample of musicians demonstrated advantages over non-musicians in learning both RB and II auditory categories defined on spectral and temporal modulation dimensions. Musicians’ category learning advantage is limited to their modality of expertise and is category-specific in a way that depends on the dimensions used to define the categories.
Visual category learning: Navigating the intersection of rules and similarity
