Timing Markers of Interaction Quality During Semi-Hocket Singing

Area of Science:

• Cognitive Science
• Social Psychology
• Musicology

Background:

• Music facilitates group bonding and joint action, but the interaction quality required remains unclear.
• Investigating the role of interaction quality in music-induced social bonding and joint action is crucial.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore how interaction quality, specifically minimizing prediction errors during musical performance, influences joint action and bonding.
• To examine the effects of movement on co-regulatory activity, timing errors, and the sense of agency in musical dyads.

Main Methods:

• Dyads performed medieval hocket-style music with defined inter-onset-interval (IOI) classes.
• Prediction errors (fluctuation, narration, collapse) were measured using dynamic Bayesian inference.
• Singers performed while moving or standing still, with agency assessed as "we" versus "shared" agency.

Main Results:

• Performance quality correlated with reduced fluctuation and narration errors.
• Joint agency correlated with narration errors, indicating a "shared" rather than "we" sense of agency.
• Movement had a minor effect, benefiting only skilled performers.

Conclusions:

• Minimizing specific timing errors is key to high-quality musical interaction and a "shared" sense of joint agency.
• The findings offer insights into the embodied and social aspects of music performance and interaction.
• Future research can explore social embodied music interaction further using these methods.