Feeling the beat: movement influences infant rhythm perception.
We hear the melody in music, but we feel the beat. We demonstrate that the perception of musical rhythm is a multisensory experience in infancy. In particular, movement of the body, by bouncing on every second versus every third beat of an ambiguous auditory rhythm pattern, influences whether that auditory rhythm pattern is encoded in duple form (a march) or in triple form (a waltz). Visual information is not necessary for the effect, indicating that it likely reflects a strong, early-developing interaction between auditory and vestibular information in the human nervous system.
Phillips-Silver
Jessica
J
Department of Psychology, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON L8S 4K1, Canada.
Trainor
Laurel J
LJ
D000328:Adult; D001303:Auditory Cortex / Q000502:physiology; D001307:Auditory Perception / Q000502:physiology*; D003615:Dancing / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007858:Learning; D009043:Motor Activity / Q000502:physiology*; D009146:Music; D046709:Pattern Recognition, Physiological / Q000502:physiology; D014722:Vestibule, Labyrinth / Q000502:physiology