On the basis of the “zygonic” theory of musical understanding (Ockelford, 2006), Grundy and Ockelford (2014) investigated musical expectations evoked during the course of hearing a piece for the first time in a prodigious musical savant (Derek Paravicini). Overall, the results provided by Derek support the principles of the zygonic theory, especially that the higher the implication factor of a note, the more likely Derek would predict its occurrence. In my commentary, I first raise the question of the use of such individuals as musical savants to generalize findings to the general population, and second I address the issue of the task and the stimuli used.
Studying musical savants: A commentary on Grundy and Ockelford
