The PICNIC Lab is looking for a master stutent to investigate changes in visual processing and reading style related to musicianchip
The PICNIC lab is looking for a master student
to investigate changes in visual processing and reading style related to musicianship under the supervision of Prof. Laurent Cohen (Institut du Cerveau et de la Moelle épinière,
hôpital de la Pitié-Salpêtrière, Paris).
Previous work from the lab has demonstrated several changes in the organization of ventral visual cortex in musicians compared to controls, as a sub-region becomes specialized in the recognition of musical scores.
We first observed interactions with the word recognition area, and wide-spread differences in activations within the reading network (Mongelli et al. 2016, Cortex). These may relate to previously documented positive impact of music instruction on language and reading.
Second, we observed modifications of the laterality of visual activations for all types of visual stimuli in musicians (Bouhali et al. 2017 NeuroImage), which we think may relate to different styles of visual processing, as previously documented in the case of the acquisition of word literacy (Ventura et al. 2013, Dehaene & Cohen 2015).
The master student would investigate these differences using fine behavioral experiments in musicians and musically naive participants, with the possibility to later relate these modifications to neural changes. This internship could also lead to a PhD if interested.
Motivated students should contact Laurent Cohen (laurentcohen2@gmail.com) and Florence Bouhali (florence.bouhali@gmail.com).