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Is the MSB hypothesis (music as a coevolved system for social bonding) testable in the Popperian sense?

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  30 September 2021

Jonathan B. Fritz Open the ORCID record for Jonathan B. Fritz [Opens in a new window]
Jonathan B. Fritz*
Affiliation:
Center for Neural Systems, New York University, New York, NY10003, USA Division of Behavioral and Cognitive Science, National Science Foundation, Alexandria, VA22314, USA. [email protected]
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Abstract

“Music As a Coevolved System for Social Bonding” (MSB) is a brilliant synthesis and appealing hypothesis offering insights into the evolution and social bonding of musicality, but is so broad and sweeping it will be challenging to test, prove or falsify in the Popperian sense (Popper, 1959). After general comments, I focus my critique on underlying neurobiological mechanisms, and offer some suggestions for experimental tests of MSB.

Type
Open Peer Commentary
Information
Behavioral and Brain Sciences , Volume 44 , 2021 , e70
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Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s), 2021. Published by Cambridge University Press

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