Lost in the Rhythm : Effects of Rhythm on Subsequent Interpersonal Coordination

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Authors

LANG Martin SHAW Daniel Joel REDDISH Paul WALLOT Sebastian Ernst MITKIDIS Panagiotis XYGALATAS Dimitrios

Year of publication 2016
Type Article in Periodical
Magazine / Source Cognitive Science
MU Faculty or unit

Faculty of Arts

Citation
Web http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/cogs.12302/abstract
Doi http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/cogs.12302
Field Philosophy and religion
Keywords Rhythm; Interpersonal coordination; Motor coupling; Social bonding
Description Music is a natural human expression present in all cultures, but the functions it serves are still debated. Previous research indicates that rhythm, an essential feature of music, can enhance coordination of movement and increase social bonding. However, the prolonged effects of rhythm have not yet been investigated. In this study, pairs of participants were exposed to one of three kinds of auditory stimuli (rhythmic, arrhythmic, or white-noise) and subsequently engaged in five trials of a joint-action task demanding interpersonal coordination. We show that when compared with the other two stimuli, exposure to the rhythmic beat reduced the practice effect in task performance. Analysis of the behavioral data suggests that this reduction results from more temporally coupled motor movements over successive trials and that shared exposure to rhythm facilitates interpersonal motor coupling, which in this context serves to impede the attainment of necessary dynamic coordination. We propose that rhythm has the potential to enhance interpersonal motor coupling, which might serve as a mechanism behind its facilitation of positive social attitudes.
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