Musicality and intelligence as predictors of professional affiliation of participants with different experiences of musical training

Abstract

The predictive power of cognitive and musical characteristics in predicting music-educational outcomes is examined. The study compared three participant groups totaling 274 individuals: professional musicians, non-professional musicians with musical training, and participants without any musical training. Measures included fluid and crystallized intelligence, musical abilities via audio tests, and levels of musical engagement and emotional responsiveness to music. The results demonstrated that a participant’s music-educational status could be predicted by a combination of cognitive and musical abilities, along with musical behavior characteristics such as engagement and emotional response to music. No differences were found in general intelligence as measured by Raven's test; however, musicians significantly lagged behind non-musicians in crystallized intelligence. Discriminant analysis revealed that the group of non-professional musicians with musical training was not homogeneous: a significant portion of the participants were identified as musicians based on discriminant variables, while others were predicted to be non-musicians. The subgroup of non-professional musicians (‘amateurs’) did not differ from professional musicians in musical abilities but did differ in cognitive characteristics, such as the extent of development of a system of scientific concepts. It was noted that musical amateurs possess considerable potential to become musicians, although the specificities of their thinking and related non-musical interests ultimately influence their professional pathways.