Binaural and/or stereo self-listening as a tool for musical performance simulation: Evaluating immersion and neural responses

Nery Borges; Pedro Bem-Hajoa; Isaac Raimundo; Helena Marinho; Marcos V. Araújo; Isabel M. Santos

doi:10.5216/mh.v26.83941

Authors

Nery Borges University of Aveiro, Aveiro, Portugal neryborges@ua.pt https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7708-7007
Pedro Bem-Hajoa University of Aveiro, Aveiro, Portugal pedro.bem-haja@ua.pt https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7547-5743
Isaac Raimundo University of Aveiro, Aveiro, Portugal isaac.raimundo@gmail.com https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6319-5587
Helena Marinho University of Aveiro, Aveiro, Portugal helena.marinho@ua.pt https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5868-8480
Marcos V. Araújo University of Aveiro, Aveiro, Portugal marcosviniciusaraujo@ufrgs.br https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8085-692X
Isabel M. Santos University of Aveiro, Aveiro, Portugal isabel.santos@ua.pt https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6319-5587

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.5216/mh.v26.83941

Keywords:

binaural self-listening, binaural recording, music performance simulation, neural responses, EEG

Abstract

This exploratory study investigated the effects of binaural and stereo self-listening on musicians’ neural responses during the mental simulation of their own musical performances. Six musicians participated in two EEG-monitored sessions in which they listened to binaural and stereo recordings of their performances in a counterbalanced order. Our hypothesis was that binaural recordings, by preserving head-related transfer functions, would elicit stronger neural activation related to spatial perception, emotional engagement, and motor simulation compared to stereo recordings. The study examined differences in brain activity related to sensory, motor, and emotional processing between the two conditions. The results indicated that binaural self-listening induced broader cortical activation patterns aligned with sensorimotor and emotional processes, while stereo recordings were associated with greater frontal activation linked to cognitive effort and attentional control. These findings suggest that binaural self-listening enhances mental performance simulation and may offer a promising tool for therapeutic interventions targeting music performance anxiety in contexts where physical practice is not feasible. Future research should employ larger samples and inferential analyses to strengthen these initial findings.

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Author Biographies

Nery Borges, University of Aveiro, Aveiro, Portugal neryborges@ua.pt

Nery Borges is a guitarist and PhD student in Music at the University of Aveiro (Portugal), funded by FCT and working within the MUS-A project. His research explores the relationship between music performance anxiety and flow experience in young musicians, developing interventions using technologies such as augmented reality, binaural recordings, biofeedback, and neurofeedback (fNIRS). He holds a master’s degree from the Federal University of Goiás (UFG) and a bachelor’s degree from EMBAP. He has presented at conferences such as SEMPRE, ISPS, and ICMPC, and published in journals including Psychology of Music and Revista Opus.

Pedro Bem-Hajoa, University of Aveiro, Aveiro, Portugal pedro.bem-haja@ua.pt

Pedro Bem-Haja holds a PhD in Psychology from the University of Aveiro and is a researcher at the University of Aveiro hub of SINTESIS@RISE. His research focuses on two major areas: Cognitive Neuroscience, with experience in the study of cognitive functions, learning, emotional processing, and neurological conditions in educational and health contexts; and Research Methodology and Data Analysis, including frequentist, Bayesian, and machine learning approaches applied to Education, Health, Marketing, Biology, and Logistics. He is principal investigator in several funded projects and author of dozens of international publications. He has developed neurocognitive assessment and rehabilitation programs used by thousands of students and has collaborated on projects with public and private institutions, also integrating the methodological team of EPIS.

Isaac Raimundo, University of Aveiro, Aveiro, Portugal isaac.raimundo@gmail.com

Isaac Raimundo holds a degree in Music – Production and Technology. He developed acoustic instrumentation for noise analysis at the University of Minho and has been working on the construction of professional audio equipment. He is currently pursuing doctoral research in Ethnomusicology on advanced physical models of gramophones and serves as a lecturer at the University of Aveiro in the field of electroacoustics, where he also coordinates the operation of the Laboratory for the Digitization of Obsolete Audio and Video Media.

Helena Marinho, University of Aveiro, Aveiro, Portugal helena.marinho@ua.pt

Helena Marinho is Associate Professor at the University of Aveiro (Portugal) and coordinator of the local branch of INET-md. Her research focuses on artistic research, 20th/21st-century Portuguese music, music and gender, and empirical music studies. She has published extensively and presented at international conferences, also serving as reviewer and editor for leading journals. Helena has led several research projects funded by FCT and the European Commission, and currently coordinates Shores (Creative Europe). She teaches mainly at postgraduate level and has supervised numerous master's, doctoral, and postdoctoral projects. A pianist active in both modern and historical performance, she has recorded 13 CDs and performed internationally. Her artistic projects are regularly supported by the Portuguese Ministry of Culture. Helena holds degrees from Norway, the USA, and the UK, and is also a consultant for A3ES.

Marcos V. Araújo, University of Aveiro, Aveiro, Portugal marcosviniciusaraujo@ufrgs.br

He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Music from the Federal University of Santa Maria (2008), a Master’s degree from the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (2010), and a PhD in Music from the University of Aveiro, Portugal (2015), including a doctoral placement at the Institute of Education, University College London, funded by CAPES. He is currently a permanent professor and coordinator of the Graduate Program in Music at UFRGS (Institute of Arts) and leads the Sharp Research Group in Musical Performance (CNPq). His research focuses on cognitive and motivational dimensions of musical expertise, with emphasis on flow experience in performance. He publishes in leading international journals and presents at national and international conferences. He teaches classical guitar, guitar pedagogy, and research methods at undergraduate and graduate levels, while maintaining artistic activity as a soloist and chamber musician in Brazil and abroad.

Isabel M. Santos, University of Aveiro, Aveiro, Portugal isabel.santos@ua.pt

Full Professor in Psychology at the University of Évora and Associate Professor with Habilitation at the University of Aveiro. Director of the Master’s in Health Psychology and Neuropsychological Rehabilitation and member of the Doctoral Program in Psychology and Education Scientific Committee. She leads StressLab and has participated in projects funded by FCT, IIE, and FCG. She received the Portuguese Society of Health Psychology Research Merit Award and served as President of RESAPES-AP and of the Northern Delegation of the Portuguese Psychologists’ Association. She has supervised numerous theses and produced extensive research on stress, anxiety, mental health, psychosocial risks, wellbeing, and psychological adjustment in academic and health contexts.