mat short neuro version

Music Apperception Test“The MAT provides a veritable playground for the psychological,

organizational, or educational researcher. The test is a very attractive alternative to paper-and-pencil tests or other static

measures of personality, creativity, emotional maturity, leadership, adaptability, sociability, and response to stress (Eighteenth Mental

Measurements Yearbook, in press)”.

Leland van den Daele, Ph.D., ABPP

Oliver Sachs Describes the Power of Rhythm

www.psychodiagnostics.com 2

What Distinguishes Music as a Psychological Stimulus?Associative pathways between music, the limbic

system, and sensory-motor centers in the brain are established as early as the first year and well established by five years of age.

Dance is mediated by sensory-motor, right brain (spatial) networks.

Right brain networks interface with facial recognition, attachment, and affective associative areas.

The sensory-motor strip spans the central sulcus. Sensory- motor networks interface with the prefrontal cortex.

Prefrontal networks coordinate motor schema. Motor schema underlie intention and thought.


This is your brain on musicDiscrete centers in the

brains process rhythm, tempo, pitch, timbre, loudness, and melody.

Outputs from these processes are largely integrated in the right parietal and temporal areas.

These areas directly interface centers for the processing of emotions.

Music excites movement and emotion.

MAT DesignThe MAT is comprised of 12/10/4

compositions that represent basic emotions.Prerecorded, or optional oral instructions,

are to “Tell a story to the music.”The average length of compositions is about

1 minute and 20 seconds.30 second silent periods occur between

compositions.Compositions progress from melodious to

cacophonous.


MAT: Basic Emotions/Compositions Twelve basic emotions are

represented in the MAT. Each emotion is embodied in a composition named after the emotion.

Factor analyses of MAT responses and thesaurus matching of emotions yield five music groups:

Approach, Introspective, Urgent Action, Adaptive Challenge, & Limits Testing

MAT music becomes successively more atonal, arrhythmic, and strident as the test progresses. The MAT is a stress test to evaluate executive function and ego strength.

1. INTERST2. JOY3. LOVE4. DESIRE5. SHAME6. EXCITE7. ANGER8. DISTRESS9. FEAR10. GUILT11. TERROR12. DISGUST


MAT Measures and NormsMAT norms based upon a sample of 168 subjects equally

divided into 8 to 10, 14 to 15, and 21 to 45 year old subjects.Measures analogous to other tests:

Latency and fluencyContent normsOff task responses

Measures unique to the MAT due to absence of visual constraints, mood and feeling created by music, and recorded response in real-time:Adaptive responses to on-going changes in musicVoice (1st, 2nd, or 3rd person).Affective FitNarrative Style


Narrative Styles Organize Response Narrative Styles describe frameworks adopted for the

organization of MAT response.Individuals differ widely in how stories are told to MAT

compositions --an observation replicated over successive MAT versions are differences of Narrative Styles.

Narrative Styles embody radically different approaches to the organization of perception, conation, & cognition.

Narrative Styles appear correlated with core differences in personality and adaptation.

Distinctive Narrative Styles likely arise through favored neural networks which weigh and organize inputs in distinctive ways.

Narrative Styles are linked to neural networks established and consolidated during development.


Narrative Styles Organize ExperienceKinetic/Imagistic narratives are constituted by

vignettes, sometimes a pastiche, of movements, sensations, feelings, and/or images.

Logical narratives typically portray “aim, action, and consequence”. These include elementary plots constituted by a description of the situation, complication or tension, actions or decisions, and outcome.

Balanced responses provide an admixture of movements, feelings, sensations, imagery, and a logical plot that are coordinated in a coherent tale.

Disorganized/Other responses are fragmented and lack coherence or consistency.

Narrative styles vary from simple to complex.

Developmental ProgressionChildren under 5 years respond to MAT through

dance and movement.Kinetic/Imagistic narratives predominate among

children from 4 to 10 years.“Scripted” narratives emerge around 8 years.Attribution of psychological causality is

uncommon in narratives before adolescence.Adult performance for latency and fluency is

obtained by 14 to 15 years of age.Balanced narratives first appear at adolescence

and young adulthood.


Kinetic/Imagistic NarrativeNarrative to “Anger” Characteristics “Oh, it's going around in my head, the

pain in my head, it's going front to back. My head is very painful. My vision is / blurring. I'm circling around in my head. My vision is blurry. I'm blacking out, falling down onto the ground. My head spins, my mind is / adrift. I have no idea what is going on. What is happening to me? I go deeper and deeper into a place that I can / only imagine, the horrors of it all. I am in the depths of hell. And searing hot coals are amongst my body and surround my / soul.”

Age 34, male; Latency = 75th; Fluency = 72nd; 1st person; Solitary; Affective congruence = moderate; Imagistic narrative.

Kinetic movement is accompanied by somatic sensation and imagery.

Body sensation and mental state are entwined.

Kinetic/Imagistic NarrativeNarrative to “Interest” Characteristics Uh, let's see. Oh, there was a small

river, a stream, clear and babbling with stones on the bottom, tufts of grass on the side, a few small / waterfalls, the little creek babbled along, fish swimming bumping into rocks and each other, eating bugs from the surface, it was all in all a / quant little scene. A deer walked up to the river and leaned it's nose towards the water. A fish came by and was frightened and / swam off.

Age 28, female; Latency = 50th; Fluency = 48th; 3rd person; Mutual; Affective congruence = moderate; Kinetic/imagistic narrative

Imagistic scenario.Note absence of

complication, climax, resolution or denouement.

Kinetic Imagistic Narrative StyleNarrative to “Desire” Characteristics “I take off from a small airfield in my open

plane. The cockpit windows are slipped back. I have a scarf around my neck and/ I take off and head off into the blue. But I stay low over the treetops and follow the ridges over the mountains and hillsides./ Up and then down into the valleys where various farmers and haystacks litter the earth below as I swoop in and out of valleys. I /pitch the plane back and overhead maybe doing a loop flying up high, doing a loop, coming back down close to the earth, right above/ the trees, flying back and forth, maneuvering the plane through the sky. Ahead is the ocean and the coast. I am parallel to the coast/ and ride the coast down, continuing on.”/

Age 34 male: Latency = 70th ; Fluency = 90th; 1st person; Sol; Affective congruence = poor; Kinetic imagistic narrative

Absence of schematic story line. Narrative follows from sensing and experiencing.

Predominately kinetic sensation, imagery, visualized scenery, and/or feeling.

Often differentiated color, temperature, texture, or sound.

Predominantly vignettes. Plot secondary to description.


Logical Schematic Narrative StyleNarrative to “Joy” Characteristics It was at night on Christmas and they

saw Santa. "Why are you guys awake, your supposed to be sleeping," he said. "We are going / on the Polar Express," they said. Then they went to the North Pole on the Polar Express. There was a boy and he didn't believe / in Santa. You had to believe in Santa and listen to the bells on his sleigh to see him. Then he went back home. You / have to believe to see the North Pole and see Santa.

Age 9 years, female; 3rd person; Latency = 80th; Fluency = 75th; Mutual; Affective congruence = moderate; Narrative style = Logical/Schematic

Respondent voices a theme and subplot from the movie “The Polar Express”.

Logical/Schematic Narrative StyleNarrative to “Desire” Characteristics “This guy is on his way to fight

this battle he has to fight to win back his girlfriend. He’s bringing along with him his / whole team of warriors or soldiers or friends. When they get there, they’ll find out that his girlfriend has already been killed and he cannot / win her love.

[Age 15; male; Latency = 30 seconds (20th); Fluency = 53 (28th); 3rd person; Solitary/conflict; Affective congruence = high; Logical narrative]

Story line organized and determined by motive, intention, or goal

Roles based upon story line.

Emotion and feeling subordinated to story line.

Plot driven and/or functional, and/or utilitarian.


Logical/Schematic Narrative StyleNarrative to “Shame” Characteristics This seems like an afternoon special, after

school special on ABC for kids. It’s about these teenage kids, probably 14 year old. They need to figure out some mystery on their own, like this girl or this guy and maybe some other. .. one girl, one tom-girl, tom-boy, whatever it's called and then two of her guy friends. One is kind of nerdy, one she kind of has a crush on, but anyways, they solve the mystery, they figure out that something was stolen from somewhere and then they end up like going into like some cave, This is the music that follows them as they go into the cave and they discover some gold or something, the loot from the mystery they were trying to solve or the burglary they are trying to solve, But it's like an afternoon special kind of background music for, you know, a mystery.

Age 30, female; Latency = 45th; Fluency = 95th; 3rd person; Mutual; Affective congruence =

Respondent imposes a typical plot from television.

Details and specifics are minimized.

Respondent emphasizes “generic” qualities.

“Music” is assimilated to plot.

“Top down” organization prevails.

Objective description

Balanced Narrative StyleNarrative to “Desire” Characteristics “Katya is working hard. She is sewing

frantically on the machine, as the thunder rolled outside. It was a night of cold winter with some / thunderstorms. Katya on the machine, but Boris was not back yet. Boris was supposed to be home two days ago [laughs]. And he hasn't come. “Boris!”/Katya lamented sadly, waiting for Boris. She was making him a special schemata. But he was not coming home. She was waiting for him. She didn't/know what to do, because there was no phone.”/ [The respondent voices a Russian-type accent throughout the story.]

Age 30 Female: Latency =50th;Fluency =60th; Voice = 3rd; Sol, Mut; Affective congruence = high; Balanced narrative style.

Integrates story line with imagery or feeling.

Switches from one mode to the other alternately with story line informed by new scene or sensation.


Balanced Narrative StyleNarrative to “Love” Characteristics Okay there are two boys, and they are walking

outside of their home on the English countryside, and they are supposed to be playing croquet / or taking polo lessons, but they don't really want to do that at all So they tell their parents that they are going to go to the polo lesson, but instead they walk off their property and into the back yard where there is a river, and they are looking / at the river and talking about how they are excited for summer camp because they get to be away from their parents, who they think are fine, but don't really feel like they understand them. All they want to do is play out in the woods and run around outside,/ but instead in the summertime all of their time is taken up by these lessons, and things they need to do for their parents so / they can show them off. And all they really want to do is run around with their shoes off and visit their aunt who lives / out in the middle of nowhere, and she lets them do whatever. She lets them cook with her, and clean with her, and they play games outside! And that's it.

Age 32, Female; Latency = 85th; Fluency = 92nd; 3rd person; Affective congruence = moderate;

Story about two boys with exposition, complication, climax, and plausible denouement.

Emphasis upon movement, “walking”, “playing”, &“running”.

Respondent emphasizes feelings, motivations, and interactions of personnel.

Balanced Narrative StyleNarrative to “Guilt” Characteristics Dh oh. This little girl just realizes she's done

something really wrong, and she feels so bad. But she couldn't help it! She had this cosmetic case that someone had given her to play with, and she just decided that the lipstick would look really nice on the wall. So she drew a design, and she really liked it. Then she suddenly realized that even though it made her feel good, her parents were going to be really, really mad. And so she sits down on the bed and tries to decide what to do, and she finally decides that the best thing to do is just go down and tell them about it. But she's really scared, so she stops crying (because she was really upset) and she walks downstairs. And her parents are both in the living room, and she says that she has something to tell them. She looks so serious and so sad, that they're really worried. And then she tells them what she did, that she drew on the wall with the lipstick, and they're so relieved that it's nothing worse that they kind of laugh even though they're mad. They tell her that she has to clean it up, but that other than that she's not in any trouble because she felt so bad.

Age 64, female; Latency = 90th; Fluency = 85th; 3rd person; Affective congruence = high; Narrative style = balanced.

Plot comprised of exposition, complication, climax, and resolution with emphasis upon the import of affect and emotion upon interaction.

Narrative Styles & Neural NetworksKinetic/Imagistic/Affective narratives describe movements,

images, sensations, and emotions or feelings. These narratives require inputs from the limbic system, sensory-motor strip, parietal-occipital, right brain, and frontal networks.

Logical narratives necessitate attribution of causality with outcomes for choices and events. These narratives rely upon participation from left temporal, temporal-parietal, and frontal networks.

Balanced narratives entail the interweaving of logical sequences and outcomes with imagery, sensation, and/or feeling. This involves orchestration of temporal, temporal-parietal, and frontal networks with right brain integrative networks.


Network Propagation & Narrative FormPropagation proceeds from

I to IV.Balanced narratives

require the interweaving of sensory, parietal, occipital and right brain contributions with temporal and left brain networks.

Music potentiates feeling potentiates movement potentiates imagery potentiates thought & discourse.

I. Perception, Feeling, &

Kinetic Tendency:

Limbic System/ Right

Parietal /Sensory-

Motor Strip

II. Kinetic Imagistic

Sensation: Parietal-

Occipital / Prefrontal

IV. Balanced: Orbital FrontalDorsal Lateral

Integrative Network

III. Logical: Frontal / Left

Temporal

Music


Neural integration differs for major diagnostic disorders

Normal respondents show well paced and modulated activation of music centers.

Schizophrenic respondents display cacophonous and dissonant auditory profiles.

Summary Comparison of Performance TestsTraditional Visual Modality

MAT Auditory Modality

Pictures constrain story-telling to depicted scenes.

TAT & CAT dated visuals and/or non-systematic selection of materials

Directions affected by examiner differences, inquiries, and rapport

Static stimulus

Respondent generates actors, scenes, and props.

Music’s immediate relation to affect

Music promotes reverie and imagination

Dynamic stimulus Prerecorded directions Systematic presentation of

musical compositions to evoke basic emotions


Summary ComparisonTraditional Visual Modality

MAT Auditory Modality

Variable time for administrationTime consumingNo fixed lengthTime and productivity

are confoundedDifficult to compare

response latency, fluency, and rate of speech.

Fixed time for administration Length for testing is 23

minutes Short forms require about

7 minutes Permits strict comparison

for response latencies, fluency, and rate of speech

Fixed intervals between stimuli permit observation during silences


Affective FitHedonic Tone: Positive, pleasant affect is coded

“+1”; Negative, Negative, unpleasant affect is coded “-1”; Neutral affect is coded “0”.

Affect Expressed: Affect conveyed by response is congruent with affect conveyed by composition is Coded “+1”.

Common Theme: Typical motif, underlying idea, message, or moral.

Common Interaction: Typical form of exchange or relation among actors.

Common Setting: Typical location or background for story or imagery.


mat short neuro version

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