1
|
Tranchant P, Shiell MM, Giordano M, Nadeau A, Peretz I, Zatorre RJ. Feeling the Beat: Bouncing Synchronization to Vibrotactile Music in Hearing and Early Deaf People. Front Neurosci 2017; 11:507. [PMID: 28955193 PMCID: PMC5601036 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2017.00507] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/19/2017] [Accepted: 08/28/2017] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The ability to dance relies on the ability to synchronize movements to a perceived musical beat. Typically, beat synchronization is studied with auditory stimuli. However, in many typical social dancing situations, music can also be perceived as vibrations when objects that generate sounds also generate vibrations. This vibrotactile musical perception is of particular relevance for deaf people, who rely on non-auditory sensory information for dancing. In the present study, we investigated beat synchronization to vibrotactile electronic dance music in hearing and deaf people. We tested seven deaf and 14 hearing individuals on their ability to bounce in time with the tempo of vibrotactile stimuli (no sound) delivered through a vibrating platform. The corresponding auditory stimuli (no vibrations) were used in an additional condition in the hearing group. We collected movement data using a camera-based motion capture system and subjected it to a phase-locking analysis to assess synchronization quality. The vast majority of participants were able to precisely time their bounces to the vibrations, with no difference in performance between the two groups. In addition, we found higher performance for the auditory condition compared to the vibrotactile condition in the hearing group. Our results thus show that accurate tactile-motor synchronization in a dance-like context occurs regardless of auditory experience, though auditory-motor synchronization is of superior quality.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Pauline Tranchant
- Faculty of Psychology, University of MontrealMontreal, QC, Canada.,International Laboratory for Brain, Music, and SoundMontreal, QC, Canada.,Centre for Interdisciplinary Research on Music, Media, and TechnologyMontreal, QC, Canada.,Centre for Research on Brain, Language, and MusicMontreal, QC, Canada
| | - Martha M Shiell
- International Laboratory for Brain, Music, and SoundMontreal, QC, Canada.,Centre for Interdisciplinary Research on Music, Media, and TechnologyMontreal, QC, Canada.,Centre for Research on Brain, Language, and MusicMontreal, QC, Canada.,Montreal Neurological Institute, McGill UniversityMontreal, QC, Canada
| | - Marcello Giordano
- Centre for Interdisciplinary Research on Music, Media, and TechnologyMontreal, QC, Canada.,Input Devices and Music Interaction Lab, McGill UniversityMontreal, QC, Canada
| | - Alexis Nadeau
- Montreal Neurological Institute, McGill UniversityMontreal, QC, Canada
| | - Isabelle Peretz
- Faculty of Psychology, University of MontrealMontreal, QC, Canada.,International Laboratory for Brain, Music, and SoundMontreal, QC, Canada.,Centre for Research on Brain, Language, and MusicMontreal, QC, Canada
| | - Robert J Zatorre
- International Laboratory for Brain, Music, and SoundMontreal, QC, Canada.,Centre for Interdisciplinary Research on Music, Media, and TechnologyMontreal, QC, Canada.,Centre for Research on Brain, Language, and MusicMontreal, QC, Canada.,Montreal Neurological Institute, McGill UniversityMontreal, QC, Canada
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Abstract
The vast majority of humans move in time with a musical beat. This behaviour has been mostly studied through finger-tapping synchronization. Here, we evaluate naturalistic synchronization responses to music-bouncing and clapping-in 100 university students. Their ability to match the period of their bounces and claps to those of a metronome and musical clips varying in beat saliency was assessed. In general, clapping was better synchronized with the beat than bouncing, suggesting that the choice of a specific movement type is an important factor to consider in the study of sensorimotor synchronization processes. Performance improved as a function of beat saliency, indicating that beat abstraction plays a significant role in synchronization. Fourteen percent of the population exhibited marked difficulties with matching the beat. Yet, at a group level, poor synchronizers showed similar sensitivity to movement type and beat saliency as normal synchronizers. These results suggest the presence of quantitative rather than qualitative variations when losing the beat.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Pauline Tranchant
- Département de psychologie, Université de Montréal, Montréal, Québec, Canada
- International Laboratory for Brain, Music and Sound Research (BRAMS), Université de Montréal, Montréal, Québec, Canada
| | - Dominique T. Vuvan
- Département de psychologie, Université de Montréal, Montréal, Québec, Canada
- International Laboratory for Brain, Music and Sound Research (BRAMS), Université de Montréal, Montréal, Québec, Canada
| | - Isabelle Peretz
- Département de psychologie, Université de Montréal, Montréal, Québec, Canada
- International Laboratory for Brain, Music and Sound Research (BRAMS), Université de Montréal, Montréal, Québec, Canada
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Abstract
Interest in the study of rhythm processing deficits (RPD) is currently growing in the cognitive neuroscience community, as this type of investigation constitutes a powerful tool for the understanding of normal rhythm processing. Because this field is in its infancy, it still lacks a common conceptual vocabulary to facilitate effective communication between different researchers and research groups. In this commentary, we provide a brief review of recent reports of RPD through the lens of one important empirical issue: the method by which beat perception is measured, and the consequences of method selection for the researcher's ability to specify which mechanisms are impaired in RPD. This critical reading advocates for the importance of matching measurement tools to the putative neurocognitive mechanisms under study, and reveals the need for effective and specific assessments of the different aspects of rhythm perception and synchronization.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Pauline Tranchant
- International Laboratory for Brain, Music, and Sound Research (BRAMS), Université de Montréal Montreal, QC, Canada ; Centre for Research of Brain, Language, and Music Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Dominique T Vuvan
- International Laboratory for Brain, Music, and Sound Research (BRAMS), Université de Montréal Montreal, QC, Canada ; Centre for Research of Brain, Language, and Music Montreal, QC, Canada
| |
Collapse
|