nrickard

Username: nrickard

Participant details

	Network Member	Nikki Rickard
	Organisation/Institution	Monash University
	Department/Centre	School of Psychology, Psychiatry & Psychological Medicine
	Lab
	Website	http://www.med.monash.edu.au/spppm/research/staff/nrickard.html
	Research area	Memory
	Research keywords	music and emotion, music and cognitive performance, music education

Research Interests

My research has historically been in behavioural neuroscience, exploring biological mechanisms of memory formation. Over the past 8 years, my focus has shifted to exploring the emotional and cognitive impact of music experiences from a behavioural and cognitive neuroscience perspective (see Rickard, Toukhsati & Field (2005) The effect of music on cognitive performance: Insight from neurobiological and animal studies. Behavioral and Cognitive Neuroscience Reviews, 4(4), 235-261.) I also have an interest in the fundamental effects of basic music components (such as rhythm) on the physiological system as I believe that these more ‘primal’ effects may be responsible for some of our most powerful experiences with music. Our research team has previously explored the anxiolytic effects of music on the stress response, the facilitatory effects of rhythmic auditory stimuli on memory in an animal model and the physiological responses to self-selected emotionally powerful music. Current research projects include a large scale evaluation of the impact of school-based music education on cognitive and psychosocial functioning (3 year ARC funded project), modulation of memory via emotionally arousing or calming music, and an examination of verbal memory benefits in people with performance and non-performance based music experience.

Representative Publications

Publications page: http://www.med.monash.edu.au/spppm/research/staff/nrickard.html