Generating New Musical Preferences from Hierarchical Mapping of Predictions to Reward

Prediction learning is considered a fundamental feature of biological systems that underlies perception, action, and reward. For cultural artifacts like music, isolating the genesis of reward from prediction is challenging, since predictions are acquired implicitly throughout life. Here, we examined the trajectory of listeners’ preferences for melodies in a novel musical scale, where local and global predictions were independently manipulated. Across seven studies (n = 842 total) in two cultures, participants preferred melodies that were presented more during exposure (globally predictable) and that followed schematic expectations (locally predictable). Learning trajectories depended on music reward sensitivity. Furthermore, fMRI showed that while auditory cortical activation reflects predictions, functional connectivity between auditory and reward areas encodes preference. The results are the first to show a hierarchical, relatively culturally-independent process by which predictions map onto reward. Collectively, our findings propose a novel mechanism by which the human brain links predictions with reward value.