Abstract
For both musicians and music psychologists, beat rate (BPM) has often been regarded as a transparent measure of musical speed or tempo, yet recent research has shown that tempo is more than just BPM. In a previous study, London, Burger, Thompson, and Toiviainen (Acta Psychologica, 164, 70–80, 2016) presented participants with original as well as “time-stretched” versions of classic R&B songs; time stretching slows down or speeds up a recording without changing its pitch or timbre. In that study we discovered a tempo anchoring effect (TAE): Although relative tempo judgments (original vs. time-stretched versions of the same song) were correct, they were at odds with BPM rates of each stimulus. As previous studies have shown that synchronous movement enhances rhythm perception, we hypothesized that tapping along to the beat of these songs would reduce or eliminate the TAE and increase the salience of the beat rate of each stimulus. In the current study participants were presented with the London et al. (Acta Psychologica, 164, 70–80, 2016) stimuli in nonmovement and movement conditions. We found that although participants were able to make BPM-based tempo judgments of generic drumming patterns, and were able to tap along to the R&B stimuli at the correct beat rates, the TAE persisted in both movement and nonmovement conditions. Thus, contrary to our hypothesis that movement would reduce or eliminate the TAE, we found a disjunction between correctly synchronized motor behavior and tempo judgment. The implications of the tapping–TAE dissociation in the broader context of tempo and rhythm perception are discussed, and further approaches to studying the TAE–tapping dissociation are suggested.
Highlights
Rhythm, movement, beats, and tempoIn perhaps no other domain are perception and action so intertwined as in musical rhythm
The interaction between movement condition and stretch was significant, F(2, 40) = 4.057, p = .025, ηp2 = .169, as small differences between −5% and 0% stretch at 105 BPM and 130 BPM in the no tapping condition became more pronounced in the tapping trials
The tempo anchoring effect (TAE) has been described by London et al (2016) as a conflict between absolute versus relative judgments of tempo that arises when listeners are presented with time-stretched versions of real music
Summary
In perhaps no other domain are perception and action so intertwined as in musical rhythm. Dalla Bella, Bialunska, and Sowiński (2013) posit this is due to music’s Bpeculiar and regular beat and metrical structure^ Ross, Iversen, and Balasubramaniam (2016) survey studies on the role of the motor system in predictive rhythmic movement and present evidence for a causal role of motor planning and simulation in rhythm perception. The links between rhythm perception and production provide the impetus for common coding theories/ models of rhythm perception and production (Maes, Leman, Palmer, & Wanderley, 2014; Ross et al, 2016; see Knoblich & Flach, 2001). Rhythmic structure is encoded in our bodily movements as we listen to music, and movement enhances our rhythmic awareness. Rhythmic structure is encoded in our bodily movements as we listen to music, and movement enhances our rhythmic awareness. Toiviainen, Luck, and Thompson (2010) showed how different metrical levels are mapped onto different parts of the body (see Leman, 2008). Su and Pöppel (2012) found that bodily movement assisted in pulse finding and
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