Heritability estimates of musicality phenotypes.
| Construct . | Measure description . | Heritability estimates . | Citations . |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rhythm perception | Discriminating between rhythms; determining whether a rhythm is the same as or different than a reference rhythm. | 0.5 | Mosing et al., 2016; Ullén et al., 2014 |
| Melody perception | Discriminating between melodies; identifying which note in a given melody differs from a reference melody. | 0.58–0.59 | Seesjärvi et al., 2016; Ullén et al., 2014 |
| Pitch perception | Discriminating between pitches; identifying whether a given pitch is higher or lower than a reference pitch. | 0.4–0.8 | Drayna et al., 2001; Ullén et al., 2014 |
| Rhythm production | Isochronous motor timing (self-paced). | 0.34 | Mosing et al., 2016 |
| Music practice | Duration and frequency of practicing a musical instrument or singing. | 0.41–0.69 | Butkovic et al., 2015; Mosing et al., 2014 |
| Music flow | Degree of proneness to experiencing psychological flow while engaging in musical activities. | 0.4 | Butkovic et al., 2015 |
| Musical talent | Self-reported exceptional musical talent (singing on playing instruments) as measured by a self-reported talent inventory. | 0.26–0.92 | Hambrick & Tucker-Drob, 2014; Vinkhuyzen et al., 2009 |
| Musical aptitude | Self-reports of average or above average musical aptitude (singing or playing instruments) on a self-reported talent inventory. | 0.30–0.66 | Vinkhuyzen et al., 2009 |
| For heritability of specific objectively-measured music aptitude traits (rhythm perception, melody perception, pitch perception), see estimates from Ullén et al. (2014), reported above. | |||
| Musical instrument engagement | Self-reported interest, instruction, and talent with musical instruments. | 0.78 | Gustavson et al., 2021 |
| Singing | Self-reported interest, instruction, and talent with vocal music (singing). | 0.43 | Gustavson et al., 2021 |
| Construct . | Measure description . | Heritability estimates . | Citations . |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rhythm perception | Discriminating between rhythms; determining whether a rhythm is the same as or different than a reference rhythm. | 0.5 | Mosing et al., 2016; Ullén et al., 2014 |
| Melody perception | Discriminating between melodies; identifying which note in a given melody differs from a reference melody. | 0.58–0.59 | Seesjärvi et al., 2016; Ullén et al., 2014 |
| Pitch perception | Discriminating between pitches; identifying whether a given pitch is higher or lower than a reference pitch. | 0.4–0.8 | Drayna et al., 2001; Ullén et al., 2014 |
| Rhythm production | Isochronous motor timing (self-paced). | 0.34 | Mosing et al., 2016 |
| Music practice | Duration and frequency of practicing a musical instrument or singing. | 0.41–0.69 | Butkovic et al., 2015; Mosing et al., 2014 |
| Music flow | Degree of proneness to experiencing psychological flow while engaging in musical activities. | 0.4 | Butkovic et al., 2015 |
| Musical talent | Self-reported exceptional musical talent (singing on playing instruments) as measured by a self-reported talent inventory. | 0.26–0.92 | Hambrick & Tucker-Drob, 2014; Vinkhuyzen et al., 2009 |
| Musical aptitude | Self-reports of average or above average musical aptitude (singing or playing instruments) on a self-reported talent inventory. | 0.30–0.66 | Vinkhuyzen et al., 2009 |
| For heritability of specific objectively-measured music aptitude traits (rhythm perception, melody perception, pitch perception), see estimates from Ullén et al. (2014), reported above. | |||
| Musical instrument engagement | Self-reported interest, instruction, and talent with musical instruments. | 0.78 | Gustavson et al., 2021 |
| Singing | Self-reported interest, instruction, and talent with vocal music (singing). | 0.43 | Gustavson et al., 2021 |
Note. Table shows moderate heritability of musicality phenotypes. Each heritability estimate provided indicates the percentage of overall variance in the trait that is genetically influenced, as computed by twin and family-based studies cited here. Broad definitions for constructs are provided, and corresponding phenotypic measures corresponding to each musicality construct of interest are outlined.