Swathi Swaminathan

Research Contributions

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See also: ORCiD, Google Scholar and ResearchGate.

Knowledge Translation Projects (completed)

ArtontheBrain app brings artworks and purpose-built recreation from museums across North America to older adults in community, clinical and care settings. Website: artonthebrain.org

Journal Articles & Book Chapters

* Indicates joint first-authorship. Underlined names are trainees.

Swaminathan, S., Kragness, H. E., & Schellenberg, E. G. (2021). The Musical Ear Test: Norms and correlates from a large sample of Canadian undergraduates. Behavior Research Methods. doi: 10.3758/s13428-020-01528-8
Howard, E. P., Retalic, T., Rogan, J., Murphy, K. J., Swaminathan, S., Altschuler, A. (2021). ArtontheBrain: Results of a pilot project among long-term care residents. Research in Gerontological Nursing. doi: 10.3928/19404921-20210825-03
Kragness, H. E.*, Swaminathan, S.*, Cirelli, L. K., & Schellenberg, E. G. (2021). Individual differences in musical ability are stable over time in childhood. Developmental Science. doi: 10.1111/desc.13081
Murphy, K. J., Swaminathan, S., Howard, E., Altschuler, A., Rogan, J., Beauchet, O., Dupuis, K., Galea, L., Hogan, D., Lingum, N., Rowe, G., Tsotsos, L., Wittich, W., Xie, F., & Hasher, L. (2021). Accessible online arts recreation for wellbeing promotion in long-term care residents: A feasibility study. Journal of Applied Gerontology. doi: 10.1177/0733464820967195
Swaminathan, S., & Schellenberg, E. G. (2021). Music training. In T. Strobach & J. Karbach (Eds.), Cognitive training: An overview of features and applications (2nd Edition). New York: Springer. doi: 10.1007/978-3-030-39292-5_21
Swaminathan, S., & Schellenberg, E. G. (2020). Musical ability, music training, and language ability in childhood. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, and Cognition, 46, 2340-2348. doi: 10.1037/xlm0000798
Garimi, L., Chow, R., Fakuade, A., Swaminathan, S., & Alain, C. (2020). Orienting attention to auditory and visual short-term memory: The roles of age, hearing loss and cognitive status. Experimental Aging Research, 46, 22-38.doi: 10.1080/0361073X.2019.1693008
Swaminathan, S., & Schellenberg, E. G. (2019). Music training and cognitive abilities: Associations, causes and consequences. In D. Hodges, & M. H. Thaut. The Oxford Handbook on Music and the Brain (pp.645 – 670). Oxford: Oxford University Press. doi: 10.1093/oxfordhb/9780198804123.013.26
Swaminathan, S., & Schellenberg, E. G. (2018). Musical competence is predicted by music training, cognitive abilities, and personality. Scientific Reports, 8, 9223. doi: 10.1038/s41598-018-27571-2
Swaminathan, S. (2018). When is positive affective response to sad-sounding music paradoxical?. Physics of Life Reviews, 25, 154-155. doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.plrev.2018.03.015 [Commentary]
Swaminathan, S., Schellenberg, E. G., & Venkatesan, K. (2018). Explaining the association between music lessons and reading ability in adults. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, and Cognition, 44, 992-999. doi: 10.1037/xlm0000493
Swaminathan, S., Schellenberg, E. G., & Khalil, S. (2017). Revisiting the association between music lessons and intelligence: Training effects or music aptitude?. Intelligence, 62, 119-124. doi:10.1016/j.intell.2017.03.005
Swaminathan, S., & Schellenberg, E. G. (2017). Musical competence and phonemic perception in a foreign language. Psychonomic Bulletin & Review, 24, 1929-1934. doi:10.3758/s13423-017-1244-5
Swaminathan, S., Altschuler, A., Hasher, L., & Murphy, K. (2019. Using technology to bring meaningful arts-based recreation to older adults. rehabINK. 2019;7. Available from: rehabinkmag.com
Swaminathan, S., & Schellenberg, E. G. (2016). Music training. In T. Strobach & J. Karbach (Eds.). Cognitive training: An overview of features and applications (pp. 137-144). New York: Springer. doi: 10.1007/978-3-319-42662-4_13
Swaminathan, S, & Schellenberg, E. G. (2015). Current emotion research in music psychology. Emotion Review, 7, 189-197. doi:10.1177/1754073914558282er.sagepub.com
Swaminathan, S., & Schellenberg, E. G. (2014). Arts education, academic achievement, and cognitive ability. In P. P. L. Tinio, & J. K. Smith (Eds.). The Cambridge Handbook of the Psychology of Aesthetics and the Arts (pp. 364 – 384). Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 9781107026285
Swaminathan, S., MacSweeney, M., Boyles, R., Waters, D., Watkins, K. E., & Möttönen, R. (2013). Motor excitability during visual perception of known and unknown spoken languages. Brain and Language, 126, 1 – 7. doi:10.1016/j.bandl.2013.03.002
Swaminathan, S., & Gopinath, J. K. (2013). Music training and second-language English comprehension and vocabulary skills in Indian children. Psychological Studies, 58, 164 – 170. doi:10.1007/s12646-013-0180-3

Published Conference Proceedings

Swaminathan, S., Altschuler, A., Howard, E. P., Hasher, L., & Murphy, K. J. (2020). Implementing an arts-based recreation program for older adults in care settings. Alzheimer’s & Dementia. doi: 10.1002/alz.047462
Suijkerbuijk, S., Abdel Alim, L., Bevilacqua, R., Felici, E., Rossi, L., Casaccia, S., Scalise, L., Pollini, A., Swaminathan, S., Nap, H.H., Astell, A. (2020). How do people living with subjective cognitive impairments want to get support in resilience?. Gerontechnology, 19(0), 1-1. doi: 10.4017/gt.2020.19.s.69949
Elalouf, K., Hogan, M., Swaminathan, S., Lingum, N., Altschuler, A., Murphy, K., & Wittich, W. (2019). Usability of ArtontheBrain: A visual-arts based mobile health solution to promote quality of life in older adults with low vision due to age-related macular degeneration. Annals of Eye Science, 4:AB030. doi: 10.21037/aes.2019.AB030
Murphy, K. J., Altschuler, A., Hasher, L., Dupuis, K., Hogan, D., Howard, E., Rowe, G., Swaminathan, S., Szczepura, A., Tsotsos, L., Wittich, W., & Xie, F. (2019). Arts-based Interventions and Wellness Promotion in Older Adults.Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society, 25(S1), 18-18. doi: 10.1017/S1355617719000663.
Swaminathan, S., & Schellenberg, E. G. (2019). Exploring the Association Between Music Training and Working Memory in Children and Adults. Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society, 25(S1), 243-243. doi:10.1017/S1355617719000663.
Swaminathan, S., Lingum, N., Altschuler, A., Hasher, L., & Murphy, K. J. (2019). Active Musical Engagement and Cognitive Abilities in Older Adults: A Systematic Review. Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society, 25(S1), 25-25. doi:10.1017/S1355617719000663.
Overbury, O., Hogan, M., Swaminathan, S., Lingum, N., Altschuler, A., Murphy, K., & Wittich, W. (2019). A visual-arts-based mobile health solution to promote brain health in older adults with low vision. Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science, 60, 4028-4028.

Interviews (selected)

Episode 7 of the Singing Brain podcast, One Planet Education Network. Available from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y-GgimtktE
Unlocking Dementia: Finding memories through Music. BrainsCAN news update. Available from: https://brainscan.uwo.ca/news/2021/unlockingdementia.html
The Canadian Opera Company in Conversation: MindBodyMusic. Available from: https://www.coc.ca/mindbodymusic

For a description of my background and interests, see my Bio page. A list of my current research projects is provided in the Projects page. In addition to my scientific interests, music and community work have been constant avenues for personal learning and I describe my background in these areas in the Other Interests section of this website.