title: Rhythmic context influences the auditory evoked potentials of musicians and non-musicians.
abstract: In this study, we investigated how rhythms are processed in the brain by measuring both behaviourally obtained ratings and auditory evoked potentials (AEPs) from the EEG. We presented probe beats on seven positions within a test bar. Two bars of either a duple- or triple meter rhythm preceded probe beats. We hypothesised that sequential processing would lead to meter effects at the 1/3 and 1/2bar positions, whereas hierarchical processing would lead to context effects on the 1/3, 1/2 and 2/3bar positions. We found that metric contexts affected behavioural ratings. This effect was more pronounced for rhythmic experts. In addition, both the AEP P3a and P3b component could be identified. Though metric context affected the P3a amplitudes, group effects were less clear. We found that the AEP P3a component is sensitive to violation of temporal expectancies. In addition, behavioural data and P3a correlation coefficients (CCs) suggest that temporal patterns are processed sequentially in nonmusicians but are processed in a hierarchical way in rhythmic experts.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological Psychology, NICI/University of Nijmegen, P.O. Box 9104, 6500 HE Nijmegen, The Netherlands. jongsma@nici.kun.nl
authors.forename: Marijtje L A
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Jongsma
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Desain
authors.forename: Henkjan
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Honing
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001307:Auditory Perception / Q000502:physiology*; D001921:Brain / Q000502:physiology; D004569:Electroencephalography; D004585:Electrooculography; D005072:Evoked Potentials, Auditory / Q000502:physiology*; D006185:Habituation, Psychophysiologic; D006801:Humans; D007600:Judgment; D009146:Music; D009790:Occupations; D010507:Periodicity; D013997:Time Factors