Oxford Seminar in the Psychology of Music: Dr Kelly Jakubowski, Durham University

Watch live on YouTube.

Many people think that music is a particularly “powerful” cue for bringing back memories from our lives. Empirical research has partially supported this idea, by showing that music can evoke more vivid and emotional autobiographical memories than various other everyday cues. But it is still not well understood as to why music might be a particularly salient cue for such memories. In this talk I will discuss recent studies in which I've been probing this question, in an attempt to begin to identify the factors that underpin this complex relationship between music and autobiographical memories.

Dr Kelly Jakubowski is Assistant Professor in Music Psychology at Durham University, where she co-directs the Music and Science Lab. Her research examines a range of topics within music psychology and empirical musicology, including memory for music, music-evoked autobiographical memory, musical imagery and imagination, earworms, absolute pitch, musical timing and movement, and cross-cultural music perception. She has recently completed a Leverhulme Early Career Fellowship on music-evoked autobiographical memory, and has previously held teaching posts at Goldsmiths, University of London and King's College London.

About the Series:

The Faculty of Music at the University of Oxford is pleased to announce the continuation of the Oxford Seminar in the Psychology of Music (OSPoM), now in hybrid format, and co-run by Eric Clarke and Manuel Anglada-Tort. Where possible, speakers will present in-person in the Committee Room of the Faculty of Music, and anyone in Oxford or the surroundings is warmly encouraged to join in-person. The seminars will also be available via YouTube so as to allow continued participation from near and far. Enjoying a position at a neglected part of the clock, seminars will start at 4.56pm GMT, and will last for 90 minutes - 45 minutes presentation followed by 45 minutes of discussion. The seminars are open to all. For any further queries about OSPoM, please email: eric.clarke@music.ox.ac.uk or manuel.anglada-tort@music.ox.ac.uk