Manuel Anglada Tort

Lecturer

University of Oxford

Biography

I am a Lecturer at the University of Oxford and lead the Research Group Music, Culture, and Cognition (MCC). I am also a visiting researcher in the Computational Auditory Perception Group at Max Planck Institute for Empirical Aesthetics. I am interested in understanding the psychological and cultural foundations of complex social behaviour such as music and aesthetics, and the role they play in human societies and cultural evolution. To explore this, my research combines computational methods, online data collection techniques, and innovative psychological paradimgs.

Interests

Auditory Perception and Cognition
Cultural Evolution
Collective Cognition
Empirical Aesthetics
Sonic Testing and Audiobranding

Education

PhD in Cognitive Science, 2020

Technische Universität Berlin, Germany
MSc in Muisc, Mind, and Brain, 2015

Goldsmiths, University of London, UK
BA in Psychology, 2013

Universitat Rovira i Virgili, Spain

News

Mar 23, 2023

New research shows how cultural transmission shapes the evolution of music

Last updated on Mar 23, 2023

Music, Culture, and Cognition (MCC) Lab: a new research group at the University of Oxford

Last updated on Mar 23, 2023

Music and the mind: a profile of Dr Manuel Anglada Tort

Experience

Lecturer

University of Oxford

Jan 2023 – Present Oxford, United Kingdom

Postdoctoral Researcher

Max Planck Institute for Empirical Aesthetics

Apr 2020 – Present Frankfurt am Main, Germany

Lecturer in Psychology

Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin

Oct 2019 – Mar 2020 Berlin, Germany

Research and Science Consultant

soundOUT - Sonic Testing for Sound Branding

Feb 2018 – Apr 2020 London, UK

Doctoral Candidate

Audio Communication Group | Technische Universität Berlin

Sep 2017 – Jun 2020 Berlin, Germany

Research Areas

Auditory Perception and Cognition

I study how people from different backgrounds experience the auditory world and the impact of their mental representations on human cognition and behavior. I develop new methods to enable large-scale online experiments in complex domains, such as high-dimensional perceptual spaces and high-precision tasks where participants' productions are recorded through the web browser.

Cultural Evolution

I use iterated learning experiments to simulate cultural evolution in the lab using complex production modalities such, as tapping and singing. I am interested in how transmission biases shape the emergence of cultural artifacts and how differences in the distribution of cultural traits may depend on selection processes and underlying network structures.

Empirical Aesthetics

How do we experience beauty? Why does music move us? What are the main principles underlying popularity and fashion? I am interested on both the biological and cognitive foundations of sensory valuation and aesthetic experience, in particular of complex and abstract stimuli such as music and art.

Sonic Testing and Audio Branding

I use large-scale behavioral experiments to test and identify optimal sonic strategies to increase brand awareness and consumer engagement. I apply insights from consumer psychology to study how music and other auditory cues can convey core brand values and improve consumers’ interactions with products or services.