HeaR

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HeaR is the first FIS Project led by Professor Elvira Di Bona. The name suggests the research question that inspires it: what is the relation between sounds - that which we HeaR - and memory.

While we can observe and analyse visual objects—like trees, tables, and chairs—at will, auditory perception works differently. Sounds like melodies, spoken language, or footsteps unfold over time, requiring us to follow their progression to identify them. However, as a melody unfolds, some features—such as the interval between the first two tones—fade into the past. This makes memory essential for perceiving audible events effectively.

HeaR's methodology is based on:
1) a comparison between auditory and visual perceptual experience of events;
2) an interdisciplinary investigation of the temporality of different kinds of sound and their relation to memory;
3) a dialogue with classical philosophers, like William James and Edmund Husserl, who investigated the relation between memory and time.

Based in Turin, the team includes postdoctoral researchers Donald Oxtoby and Daniele Cassaghi. The group collaborates with Turin's Mumble Research Group; the Centre for Logic, Language, and Cognition; researchers affiliated with the Atmos project, also directed by Professor Di Bona. Our team activities are enriched by the contributions from doctoral researcher Niccolò Nanni and several promising students.

HeaR is funded by the Italian Ministry of University and Research with a grant of 1 million euros. The budget is allocated through the Fondo Italiano per la Scienza (FIS).