In collaboration with the Stanford Center for Computer Research in Music and Acoustics (CCRMA) and with funding from the Stanford Institute for Creativity and the Arts (SiCa), the Center on Longevity hosted a launch conference on the topic of Longevity, Music, and Memory on Sept 30th-Oct 1st, 2010.   The conference was co-chaired by Faculty Affiliates Jonathan Berger (Stanford Music) and Anthony Wagner (Stanford Psychology and Director of Stanford Memory Lab) along with Laura Carstensen. With the help of a Shensen grant and spurred by discussion and collaboration at the conference, a postdoctoral fellow in Laura Carstensen’s laboratory, Andy Reed, is heading up a study designed to investigate age differences in preferences, attention and memory for emotion-inducing music and sounds.  The study is intended to fill gaps in our understanding of age differences related to positive versus negative sounds and music.  Findings from this research will inform the acoustic design of older adult environments (e.g., senior living facilities and nursing homes) to optimize emotional benefits.

MUSIC AND MEMORY PROJECT
In collaboration with the Stanford Center for Computer Research in Music and Acoustics (CCRMA), Andy Reed, a postdoctoral fellow, is heading up a study designed to investigate age differences in preferences, attention and memory for emotion-inducing music and sounds. The study is intended to fill gaps in our understanding of age differences related to positive versus negative sounds and music. Findings from this research will inform the acoustic design of older adult environments (e.g., senior living facilities and nursing homes) to optimize emotional benefits. The project was completed in June 2013 and will culminate in a research report/paper. A follow-up study is currently being planned for Fall 2013.