The Relationship of Musical Expertise, Working Memory, and Intelligence

Abstract

The connections between musical expertise, working memory (WM), and intelligence have been examined repeatedly in recent years with, to some extent, conflicting evidence. For this reason, more studies are needed that can clarify this matter. The present study investigated connections between musical expertise, WM, and intelligence. Fifty musicians and 50 nonmusicians solved tasks to measure WM (phonological and visuospatial) and intelligence (crystallized and fluid). The results provided further evidence that musical expertise is associated with a superior phonological WM, but not with a superior visuospatial WM or crystallized and fluid intelligence.