Music, Memory, and Imagination

Margulis, Elizabeth Hellmuth; Jakubowski, Kelly

Abstract

This article argues that the capacity of music to reliably cue both autobiographical memories and fictional imaginings can be leveraged to better understand the relationship and interdependence between memory and imagination more generally. The multiple levels involved in musical engagement provide a rich forum for investigating how emotional, semantic, and contextual associations with musical cues influence both memories and imaginings. Moreover, musical excerpts are extended in time and can influence the trajectory of a memory or imagining dynamically as it develops, allowing for a more precise manipulation of the implied semantic space. Because music’s uses and contextual associations are culturally constrained, and culture can be shared, autobiographical memories and fictional imaginings cued by music can show surprising similarities among individuals from the same culture. This article surveys the research on music-evoked autobiographical memories and music-evoked fictional imaginings, proposing a framework for bringing these separate strands of work together to shed light on larger questions about shared underlying mechanisms.

Citation

Margulis, E. H., & Jakubowski, K. (2024). Music, Memory, and Imagination. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 33(2), 108-113. https://doi.org/10.1177/09637214231217229

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Dec 1, 2023
• Online Publication Date: Jan 23, 2024
• Publication Date: 2024-04
• Deposit Date: Jan 24, 2024
• Publicly Available Date: Jan 26, 2024
• Journal: Current Directions in Psychological Science
• Print ISSN: 0963-7214
• Electronic ISSN: 1467-8721
• Publisher: SAGE Publications
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 33
• Issue: 2
• Pages: 108-113
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/09637214231217229
• Public URL: https://durham-repository.worktribe.com/output/2162958