Neural responses to auditory surprise are typically studied with highly unexpected, disruptive sounds. Consequently, little is known about auditory prediction in everyday contexts that are characterized by fine-grained, non-disruptive fluctuations of auditory surprise. To address this issue, we used IDyOM, a computational model of auditory expectation, to obtain continuous surprise estimates for a set of newly composed melodies. Our main goal was to assess whether the neural correlates of non-disruptive surprising sounds in a musical context are affected by musical expertise. Using magnetoencephalography (MEG), auditory responses were recorded from musicians and non-musicians while they listened to the melodies. Consistent with a previous study, the amplitude of the N1m component increased with higher levels of computationally estimated surprise. This effect, however, was not different between the two groups. Further analyses offered an explanation for this finding: Pitch interval size itself, rather than probabilistic prediction, was responsible for the modulation of the N1m, thus pointing to low-level sensory adaptation as the underlying mechanism. In turn, the formation of auditory regularities and proper probabilistic prediction were reflected in later components: the mismatch negativity (MMNm) and the P3am, respectively. Overall, our findings reveal a hierarchy of expectations in the auditory system and highlight the need to properly account for sensory adaptation in research addressing statistical learning.

中文翻译：

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分解音乐家和非音乐家对旋律惊喜的神经反应：听觉系统预测层次的证据

对听觉惊喜的神经反应通常是用非常出乎意料的破坏性声音来研究的。因此，人们对日常环境中的听觉预测知之甚少，这些环境的特点是听觉惊喜的细粒度、无中断波动。为了解决这个问题，我们使用了 IDyOM（一种听觉期望的计算模型）来获得一组新创作的旋律的连续惊喜估计。我们的主要目标是评估音乐环境中非破坏性令人惊讶的声音的神经关联是否受音乐专业知识的影响。使用脑磁图 (MEG)，记录音乐家和非音乐家在听旋律时的听觉反应。与之前的研究一致，N1m 分量的幅度随着计算估计的意外水平的提高而增加。然而，这种效果在两组之间并没有什么不同。进一步的分析为这一发现提供了一个解释：音高间隔大小本身，而不是概率预测，负责 N1m 的调制，因此指出低水平的感官适应是潜在的机制。反过来，听觉规律的形成和适当的概率预测反映在后面的组成部分：分别为失配负性 (MMNm) 和 P3am。总体而言，我们的研究结果揭示了听觉系统中的期望层次，并强调了在针对统计学习的研究中正确考虑感官适应的必要性。而不是概率预测，负责调节 N1m，从而指出低水平的感官适应是潜在的机制。反过来，听觉规律的形成和适当的概率预测反映在后面的组成部分：分别为失配负性 (MMNm) 和 P3am。总体而言，我们的研究结果揭示了听觉系统中的期望层次，并强调了在针对统计学习的研究中正确考虑感官适应的必要性。而不是概率预测，负责调节 N1m，从而指出低水平的感官适应是潜在的机制。反过来，听觉规律的形成和适当的概率预测反映在后面的组成部分：分别为失配负性 (MMNm) 和 P3am。总体而言，我们的研究结果揭示了听觉系统中的期望层次，并强调了在针对统计学习的研究中正确考虑感官适应的必要性。