Abstract
Theories of metrical structure postulate the existence of several degrees of beat strength. While previous work has clearly established that humans are sensitive to the distinction between strong beats and weak ones, there is little evidence for a more fine grained distinction between intermediate levels. Here, we present experimental data showing that attention can be allocated to an intermediate level of beat strength. Comparing the effects of short exposures to 6/8 and 3/4 metrical structures on a tone detection task, we observe that subjects respond differently to beats of intermediate strength than to weak beats.
Highlights
MethodsTwenty subjects participated in the experiment, ranging in age from 23 to 39 year old, with 9 males and 11 females
One possibility is that some subjects devote more cognitive resources to using hierarchical metrical structure as a cue to where beeps might occur; this strategy, incidentally, would fail in the current task, where only the lowest-level of pulse is useful in this regard
It is possible that this measure is somehow unable to detect the global vs. local difference discussed above, or the explanation for the differences in effect direction may lie elsewhere. This experiment showed a genuine effect of hierarchical metrical structure
Summary
Twenty subjects participated in the experiment, ranging in age from 23 to 39 year old, with 9 males and 11 females. They reported having no musical training (beyond casual listening to music). They were paid 5 euros for their participation. This research, and the consent forms subjects signed, were approved by the Conseil dâ??évaluation ethique pour les recherches en sante (CERES). Two sounds were used to generate the stimuli: a natural recording of a cymbal sound, edited to fit within 80 ms, and a pure tone of 880Hz lasting 80 msec. The interonset-interval in all stimuli was 200 ms
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
