Abstract

In a sample of 44 human subjects, aged between 18 and 38 years, two distinct measurement procedures were carried out: (1) a psychophysical procedure to determine ‘preferred beat rate’ and (2) standard anthropometry to determine mass and 6 skeletal dimensions. Additionally the factors of sex, age and musicianship were also assessed. ANOVAs were carried out with preferred beat rate as the dependent variable and each of the anthropometric variables as between-subjects factors, partitioned into two levels, defined by the 50th percentile. Significant effects were obtained for age, anthropometric factors and the interaction between age and sex, totalling about 40% of the explainable variance. No significant main effects of sex or musicianship were obtained.

Abstract

Todd, Cousins, and Lee (2007) have presented some intriguing data suggesting that body size, as measured by standard anthropometric indices, is related to the preferred beat period in a perceptual task. Curiously, however, they did not find a significant sex difference, even though the women in their sample were clearly smaller than the men. Another recent study of preferred spontaneous tempo (McAuley et al., 2006) likewise failed to find a sex difference in a large sample of young adults. It is unclear why body size should have an effect only within each sex group.

Abstract

The idea that beat induction derives from body movement is attractive, but until recently unequivocal empirical evidence of such a linkage has been elusive. Todd et al. (2007) provide evidence that individual differences in locomotion affect preferred beat rate, and Phillips-Silver & Trainor (2005, 2007, under review) show that metrical interpretation is affected by movement. These studies examine different aspects of rhythm processing, but together provide converging evidence for pervasive movement/auditory interactions.