Memory, Attention and Creativity as Cognitive Processes in Musical Performance: The Case Study of Students and Professionals among Non-Musicians and Musicians

The research discusses that cognitive processes such as memory, attention and creativity differ in students and professionals, among musicians and non-musicians, dealing with musical performance. The research purpose is to evaluate and compare the role of memory, attention and creativity as cognitive processes in musical performance, focusing on the differences between non-musicians and musicians. The sample involved 400 individuals, students and professionals, specialising in music and economics. The research instruments used by the scholars were the Wechsler Memory Scale, the Conners Performance Test, and the Torrance Tests of Creative Thinking. Musical students possessed better-developed auditory and short-term memory, while professional musicians had better auditory, visual working and short-term memory. The analysis of attention reveals that music students score better than non-musicians on all four aspects: inattention, impulsivity, sustained attention, and vigilance. For professionals, the key aspects are impulsivity and sustained attention with better results revealed in musicians. Creative thinking was the only factor where the differences were statistically significant in all five scales and the findings proved that creativity was better developed among musicians. The research provides an in-depth analysis and adds new knowledge to existing literature and empirical data on the cognitive processes associated with musical performance, focusing on memory, attention, and creativity. By examining the differences between non-musicians and musicians, as well as students and professionals, the research provides insight into how musical performance can be used as a way to develop these cognitive processes.