Abstract
Beat perception in music has been proposed to be a human universal that may have its origins in adaptive processes involving temporal entrainment such as social communication and interaction. We examined beat perception skills in individuals with Williams syndrome (WS), a genetic, neurodevelopmental disorder. Musical interest and hypersociability are two prominent aspects of the WS phenotype although actual musical and social skills are variable. On a group level, beat and meter perception skills were poorer in WS than in age-matched peers though there was significant individual variability. Cognitive ability, sound processing style, and musical training predicted beat and meter perception performance in WS. Moreover, we found significant relationships between beat and meter perception and adaptive communication and socialization skills in WS. Results have implications for understanding the role of predictive timing in both music and social interactions in the general population, and suggest music as a promising avenue for addressing social communication difficulties in WS.
Highlights
Williams syndrome (WS) is a genetic, neurodevelopmental disorder caused by the deletion of ∼28 genes on chromosome 7 (Ewart et al, 1993)
Beat Alignment Test Beat Alignment Test performance was highly variable in the WS and typically developing (TD) groups
In WS, Beat Alignment Test (BAT) performance was associated with IQ (ρ = 0.445, p < 0.001), types of musical training (ρ = 0.320, p = 0.016), cumulative years of individual music lessons (ρ = 0.357, p = 0.007), and sound processing style (ρ = −0.401, p = 0.002) but not with age or time spent playing or listening to music
Summary
Williams syndrome (WS) is a genetic, neurodevelopmental disorder caused by the deletion of ∼28 genes on chromosome 7 (Ewart et al, 1993). A better understanding of the musical profile in WS may help determine how their musical interests and abilities fit with other aspects of the WS phenotype, as well as lead to insights into gene-brain-behavior relationships involved in musical engagement. One area of particular interest is skills related to rhythm and timing, which are crucial in both music and social communication and interaction (e.g., Patel, 2008). Many aspects of timing are incorporated into music including tempo, beat, rhythmic patterns, meter, and temporal variability or expressive timing (Honing, 2013). Rhythm is often perceived within the framework of a musical beat, i.e., a regular pulse marking spaced time intervals (Large and Palmer, 2002).
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