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2020-12-18

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cc-by (c) Valenzuela, Jose et al., 2020
Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/2445/175854

Psychology Meets Archaeology: Psychoarchaeoacoustics for Understanding Ancient Minds and Their Relationship to the Sacred

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https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.550794

Abstract

How important is the influence of spatial acoustics on our mental processes related to sound perception and cognition? There is a large body of research in fields encompassing architecture, musicology, and psychology that analyzes human response, both subjective and objective, to different soundscapes. But what if we want to understand how acoustic environments influenced the human experience of sound in sacred ritual practices in premodern societies? Archaeoacoustics is the research field that investigates sound in the past. One of its branches delves into how sound was used in specific landscapes and at sites with rock art, and why past societies endowed a special significance to places with specific acoustical properties. Taking advantage of the advances made in sound recording and reproduction technologies, researchers are now exploring how ancient social and sacred ceremonies and practices related to the acoustic properties of their sound environment. Here, we advocate for the emergence of a new and innovative discipline, experimental psychoarchaeoacoustics. We also review underlying methodological approaches and discuss the limitations, challenges, and future directions for this new field.

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Acústica, Psicologia cognitiva, Arqueologia

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Acoustics, Cognitive psychology, Archaeology

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Articles publicats en revistes (Història i Arqueologia)
Articles publicats en revistes (Institut de Neurociències (UBNeuro))
Articles publicats en revistes (Institut d’Arqueologia de la Universitat de Barcelona (IAUB))
Articles publicats en revistes (Psicologia Clínica i Psicobiologia)
Publicacions de projectes de recerca finançats per la UE

Citation

VALENZUELA, Jose, DÍAZ-ANDREU, Margarita and ESCERA I MICÓ, Carles. Psychology Meets Archaeology: Psychoarchaeoacoustics for Understanding Ancient Minds and Their Relationship to the Sacred. Frontiers in Psychology. 2020. Vol. 11. ISSN 1664-1078. [consulted: 12 of August of 2026]. Available at: https://hdl.handle.net/2445/175854

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