Memory and music: The role of musical training in verbal and visual working memory in musician and non‐musician adult subjects: Preliminary results

Abstract Background Memory has been studied broadly in recent decades. Within the different systems that constitute this multidimensional construct, working memory is one of the components that generated the most unknowns, given the various processes put into play for its operation. The Cognitive Reserve Theory’s framework postulated that musical training is an activity that can help to protect and enhance such mnemic processes and those related to it. The main objective of this study is to explore the possible differences in working memory between musicians and non‐musicians normal adults. Method The steps for a cross‐sectional study were used. A total of 77 subjects between 18 and 55 years (32 musicians and 45 non‐musicians) were interviewed. The main materials used were Musical Training Questionnaire‐Argentine (Gooding, Abner, Jicha, Kryscio and Schmitt, 2014; Feldberg et al., 2019) to quantify the musical training in each subject (musicians also should have at least 5 years of musical training), and BIMeT‐Verbal and Visuospatial versions (Injoque‐Ricle, Barreyro, Formoso and Burin, 2018; Barreyro, Injoque‐Ricle, Formoso and Burin, 2019) to asses various aspects of verbal and visuospatial working memory. Measures of central tendency and dispersion were obtained to describe the socio‐demographic and musical training variables. Consequently, a normality test was performed and the Mann‐Whitney U test was used to contrast performance between groups. An error probability minor or equal to 0.05 was established, and data were analyzed by SPSS statistical software version 22.0. Result The results indicated a better performance by the group of musicians in a great extent of tests that set up the BIMeT‐V (direct letters score, p=0.049; direct letters span, p= 0.013; digit‐letter score, p=0.007; digit‐letter span, p=0.016) and BIMeT‐Ve (simple star score, p=0.001; simple star span, p=0.001; interferic star score, p=0.000; interferic star span, p=0.001; interferic blocs score, p=0.000; interferic blocs span, p=0.000). Conclusion The results of this work are consistent with those that have been previously researched, providing evidence regarding the role of music training in enhancing mnesic processes, especially in verbal and visuospatial aspects of working memory.