Ontogeny of rhythmic performances and contribution of motor and perceptual rhythmic preferences

According to the entrainment region hypothesis, the range of tempi with which individuals can synchronize broadens during childhood. This developmental change is accompanied by a slowing of rhythmic preferences, as covered by the preferred period hypothesis. The later hypothesis posits that both motor and perceptual rhythmic preferences slow down throughout childhood, reflecting an increase in the common period of endogenous oscillations. This study aimed to further investigate the development of an entrainment region through rhythmic production (counting) and perception (tempo discrimination), while assessing the related contributions of a preferred period (spontaneous motor tempo and perceptual preferred tempo) between childhood and young adulthood. The study (N = 70) included three groups of children (5-6, 8-9, and 11-12 years) and one group of young adults (21-30 years). The results show a change in rhythmic performances around 11-12-year-olds, depending on the task employed. Moreover, results indicate a significant effect of rhythmic context in tempo discrimination, suggesting that young children are sometimes better at discriminating tempo slower than their motor and perceptual rhythmic preferences. For both rhythmic production and perception, spontaneous motor tempo emerges as the strongest contributor to the models, reinforcing its validity as an index of the biological constraints associated with endogenous oscillation. In contrast, the opposite direction of age across models suggests distinct developmental trajectories for rhythmic production and perception, highlighting the influence of additional constraints beyond endogenous oscillation (e.g., cognitive).