The effect of an associative technique in teaching pitch and interval discrimination

Abstract

The Seashore test of pitch was given to 58 music students at the University of Kentucky. Six students with the highest scores and seven with the lowest scores were selected as subjects of the experiment. An experimental group consisting of the four highest and three lowest "was given a period of training in pitch by an indirect association technique, after which the Seashore test was again given to both the experimental and control groups." Some of the associations used were as follows: perfect fifth with chimes or church bells, major sixth with "Annie Laurie," perfect fourth with taps, minor sixth with such words as meditation, reverence, wistfulness or contemplation , etc. The experimental group gained an average of 8.3 points, the control group showed a loss of 0.16 points, and two especially deficient students gained 88 and 14 points respectively in the second Seashore test for pitch after training. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved)