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Engler BH, Zamm A, Møller C. Spontaneous rates exhibit high intra-individual stability across movements involving different biomechanical systems and cognitive demands. Sci Rep 2024; 14:14876. [PMID: 38937553 PMCID: PMC11211469 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-65788-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/21/2024] [Accepted: 06/24/2024] [Indexed: 06/29/2024] Open
Abstract
Spontaneous rhythmic movements are part of everyday life, e.g., in walking, clapping or music making. Humans perform such spontaneous motor actions at different rates that reflect specific biomechanical constraints of the effector system in use. However, there is some evidence for intra-individual consistency of specific spontaneous rates arguably resulting from common underlying processes. Additionally, individual and contextual factors such as musicianship and circadian rhythms have been suggested to influence spontaneous rates. This study investigated the relative contributions of these factors and provides a comprehensive picture of rates among different spontaneous motor behaviors, i.e., melody production, walking, clapping, tapping with and without sound production, the latter measured online before and in the lab. Participants (n = 60) exhibited high intra-individual stability across tasks. Task-related influences included faster tempi for spontaneous production rates of music and wider ranges of spontaneous motor tempi (SMT) and clapping rates compared to walking and music making rates. Moreover, musicians exhibited slower spontaneous rates across tasks, yet we found no influence of time of day on SMT as measured online in pre-lab sessions. Tapping behavior was similar in pre-lab and in-lab sessions, validating the use of online SMT assessments. Together, the prominent role of individual factors and high stability across domains support the idea that different spontaneous motor behaviors are influenced by common underlying processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ben H Engler
- Department of Psychology, Centre for Cognitive Neuroscience, Paris-Lodron-University of Salzburg, Salzburg, Austria.
- Center for Music in the Brain, Department of Clinical Medicine, Aarhus University and The Royal Academy of Music Aarhus/Aalborg, Aarhus, Denmark.
| | - Anna Zamm
- Department of Linguistics, Cognitive Science and Semiotics, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Cecilie Møller
- Center for Music in the Brain, Department of Clinical Medicine, Aarhus University and The Royal Academy of Music Aarhus/Aalborg, Aarhus, Denmark
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Vathagavorakul R, Gonjo T, Homma M. The influence of sound waves and musical experiences on movement coordination with beats. Hum Mov Sci 2024; 93:103170. [PMID: 38043482 DOI: 10.1016/j.humov.2023.103170] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/25/2023] [Revised: 11/12/2023] [Accepted: 11/21/2023] [Indexed: 12/05/2023]
Abstract
Synchronizing movement with external stimuli is important in musicians and athletes. This study investigated the effects of sound characteristics, including sound with harmonics (square wave) and without harmonics (sine wave) and levels of expertise in sports and music on rhythmic ability. Thirty-two university students participated in the study. The participants were divided into sixteen music education (ME) and sixteen physical education (PE) majors. They were asked to perform finger tapping tasks with 1,2 and 3 Hz beat rates, tapping in time with the sine and square wave beat produced by a metronome. The relative phase angle of finger tapping and the onset time of metronome sound were calculated using circular statistics. The results showed that type of wave and music experience affected the rhythmic ability of participants. Our study highlights the importance of types of waves on rhythmic ability, especially for participants with no background in music. The square wave is recommended for athletes to learn to synchronize their movement with beats.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ravisara Vathagavorakul
- Division of Health and Physical Education, Department of Curriculum and Instruction, Faculty of Education, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand.
| | - Tomohiro Gonjo
- School of Energy, Geoscience, Infrastructure and Society, Institute for Life and Earth Sciences, Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Miwako Homma
- Institute of Health and Sport Sciences, University of Tsukuba, Japan
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Desbernats A, Martin E, Tallet J. Which factors modulate spontaneous motor tempo? A systematic review of the literature. Front Psychol 2023; 14:1161052. [PMID: 37920737 PMCID: PMC10619865 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1161052] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/07/2023] [Accepted: 08/02/2023] [Indexed: 11/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Intentionally or not, humans produce rhythmic behaviors (e.g., walking, speaking, and clapping). In 1974, Paul Fraisse defined rhythmic behavior as a periodic movement that obeys a temporal program specific to the subject and that depends less on the conditions of the action (p. 47). Among spontaneous rhythms, the spontaneous motor tempo (SMT) corresponds to the tempo at which someone produces movements in the absence of external stimuli, at the most regular, natural, and pleasant rhythm for him/her. However, intra- and inter-individual differences exist in the SMT values. Even if several factors have been suggested to influence the SMT (e.g., the age of participants), we do not yet know which factors actually modulate the value of the SMT. In this context, the objectives of the present systematic review are (1) to characterize the range of SMT values found in the literature in healthy human adults and (2) to identify all the factors modulating the SMT values in humans. Our results highlight that (1) the reference value of SMT is far from being a common value of 600 ms in healthy human adults, but a range of SMT values exists, and (2) many factors modulate the SMT values. We discuss our results in terms of intrinsic factors (in relation to personal characteristics) and extrinsic factors (in relation to environmental characteristics). Recommendations are proposed to assess the SMT in future research and in rehabilitative, educative, and sport interventions involving rhythmic behaviors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anaïs Desbernats
- ToNIC, Toulouse NeuroImaging Center, Université de Toulouse, Inserm, UPS, Toulouse, France
| | | | - Jessica Tallet
- ToNIC, Toulouse NeuroImaging Center, Université de Toulouse, Inserm, UPS, Toulouse, France
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Park KS, Williams DM, Etnier JL. Exploring the use of music to promote physical activity: From the viewpoint of psychological hedonism. Front Psychol 2023; 14:1021825. [PMID: 36760458 PMCID: PMC9905642 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1021825] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/17/2022] [Accepted: 01/09/2023] [Indexed: 01/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Despite the global efforts to encourage people to regularly participate in physical activity (PA) at moderate-to-vigorous intensity, an inadequate number of adults and adolescents worldwide meet the recommended dose of PA. A major challenge to promoting PA is that sedentary or low-active people experience negative shifts in affective valence (feeling bad versus good) in response to moderate-to-vigorous intensity PA. Interestingly, empirical data indicate that listening to music during acute bouts of PA positively alters affective valence (feeling good versus bad), reduces perceived exertion, and improves physical performance and oxygen utilization efficiency. From the viewpoint of the ancient principle of psychological hedonism - humans have ultimate desires to obtain pleasure and avoid displeasure - we elaborate on three putative mechanisms underlying the affective and ergogenic effects of music on acute bouts of PA: (1) musical pleasure and reward, (2) rhythmic entrainment, and (3) sensory distraction from physical exertion. Given that a positive shift in affective valence during an acute bout of PA is associated with more PA in the future, an important question arises as to whether the affective effect of music on acute PA can be carried over to promote long-term PA. Although this research question seems intuitive, to our knowledge, it has been scarcely investigated. We propose a theoretical model of Music as an Affective Stimulant to Physical Activity (MASPA) to further explain the putative mechanisms underlying the use of music to promote long-term PA. We believe there have been important gaps in music-based interventions in terms of the rationale supporting various components of the intervention and the efficacy of these interventions to promote long-term PA. Our specification of relevant mechanisms and proposal of a new theoretical model may advance our understanding of the optimal use of music as an affective, ergogenic, and sensory stimulant for PA promotion. Future directions are suggested to address the gaps in the literature.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kyoung Shin Park
- Department of Kinesiology, University of North Carolina at Greensboro, Greensboro, NC, United States,*Correspondence: Kyoung Shin Park, ✉
| | - David M. Williams
- Center for Health Promotion and Health Equity, Brown University, Providence, RI, United States
| | - Jennifer L. Etnier
- Department of Kinesiology, University of North Carolina at Greensboro, Greensboro, NC, United States
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Spontaneous motor tempo over the course of a week: the role of the time of the day, chronotype, and arousal. PSYCHOLOGICAL RESEARCH 2023; 87:327-338. [PMID: 35128606 PMCID: PMC8818276 DOI: 10.1007/s00426-022-01646-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/17/2021] [Accepted: 01/13/2022] [Indexed: 01/27/2023]
Abstract
The spontaneous motor tempo (SMT) or internal tempo describes the natural pace of predictive and emergent movements such as walking or hand clapping. One of the main research interests in the study of the spontaneous motor tempo relates to factors affecting its pace. Previous studies suggest an influence of the circadian rhythm (i.e., 24-h cycle of the biological clock), physiological arousal changes, and potentially also musical experience. This study aimed at investigating these effects in participants' everyday life by measuring their SMT four times a day over seven consecutive days, using an experience sampling method. The pace of the SMT was assessed with a finger-tapping paradigm in a self-developed web application. Measured as the inter-tap interval, the overall mean SMT was 650 ms (SD = 253 ms). Using multi-level modelling (MLM), results show that the pace of the SMT sped up over the course of the day, and that this effect depended on the participants' chronotype, since participants tending towards morning type were faster in the morning compared to participants tending towards evening type. During the day, the pace of the SMT of morning types stayed relatively constant, whereas it became faster for evening-type participants. Furthermore, higher arousal in participants led to a faster pace of the SMT. Musical sophistication did not influence the SMT. These results indicate that the circadian rhythm influences the internal tempo, since the pace of SMT is not only dependent on the time of the day, but also on the individual entrainment to the 24-h cycle (chronotype).
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Endogenous rhythms influence musicians' and non-musicians' interpersonal synchrony. Sci Rep 2022; 12:12973. [PMID: 35902677 PMCID: PMC9334298 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-16686-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/12/2022] [Accepted: 07/13/2022] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
Individuals display considerable rate differences in the spontaneous production of rhythmic behaviors (such as speech, gait, dance). Temporal precision in rhythmic behavior tends to be highest at individuals’ spontaneous production rates; musically trained partners with similar spontaneous rates show increased synchrony in joint tasks, consistent with predictions based on intrinsic frequencies of coupled oscillators. We address whether partner-specific influences of intrinsic frequencies are evidenced in musically trained and untrained individuals who tapped a familiar melody at a spontaneous (uncued) rate individually. Each individual then synchronized with a partner from the same musicianship group at an initially cued rate that matched the partners’ spontaneous rates. Musically trained partners showed greater synchrony in joint tapping than musically untrained partners. Asynchrony increased in both groups as the partners’ difference in individual spontaneous rates increased, with greater impact for musically untrained pairs. Recurrence quantification analysis confirmed that musically untrained individuals demonstrated greater determinism (less flexibility) in their tapping than musically trained individuals. Furthermore, individuals with greater determinism in solo performances demonstrated reduced synchrony in joint performances. These findings suggest that musicians’ increased temporal flexibility is associated with decreased endogenous constraints on production rate and greater interpersonal synchrony in musical tasks.
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Hammerschmidt D, Frieler K, Wöllner C. Spontaneous Motor Tempo: Investigating Psychological, Chronobiological, and Demographic Factors in a Large-Scale Online Tapping Experiment. Front Psychol 2021; 12:677201. [PMID: 34248776 PMCID: PMC8262453 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2021.677201] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/07/2021] [Accepted: 05/24/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The spontaneous motor tempo (SMT) describes the pace of regular and repeated movements such as hand clapping or walking. It is typically measured by letting people tap with their index finger at a pace that feels most natural and comfortable to them. A number of factors have been suggested to influence the SMT, such as age, time of the day, arousal, and potentially musical experience. This study aimed at investigating the effects of these factors in a combined and out-of-the-lab context by implementing the finger-tapping paradigm in an online experiment using a self-developed web application. Due to statistical multimodality in the distribution of participants' SMT (N = 3,576), showing peaks at modes of around 250 ms, a Gaussian mixture model was applied that grouped participants into six clusters, ranging from Very Fast (M = 265 ms, SD = 74) to Very Slow (M = 1,757 ms, SD = 166). These SMT clusters differed in terms of age, suggesting that older participants had a slower SMT, and time of the day, showing that the earlier it was, the slower participants' SMT. While arousal did not differ between the SMT clusters, more aroused participants showed faster SMTs across all normalized SMT clusters. Effects of musical experience were inconclusive. With a large international sample, these results provide insights into factors influencing the SMT irrespective of cultural background, which can be seen as a window into human timing processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- David Hammerschmidt
- Institute for Systematic Musicology, University of Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Klaus Frieler
- Max Planck Institute for Empirical Aesthetics, Frankfurt, Germany
| | - Clemens Wöllner
- Institute for Systematic Musicology, University of Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
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