Spontaneous production rates in music and speech: Effector systems or domain specificity?

Individuals perform many tasks at an optimal rate that is consistent within but not between individuals, evidenced by the spontaneous rate at which one performs a task in the absence of external rate cues. We tested three hypotheses concerning how spontaneous production rates (SPRs) are generated and associated across language and music tasks: Biomechanical constraints associated with effector systems (vocalized/fingered: H1), reliance on auditory feedback (presence/absence: H2), and domain-specific constraints (speech/music: H3). We tested these hypotheses by having participants produce music and speech sequences, sequences that used vocalized or fingered effectors, plus a Silent finger-tapping condition to test the influence of auditory feedback on spontaneous production rates. SPRs were significantly correlated across all tasks that involved production of auditory feedback, regardless of effector or domain. However, Silent Tapping rates were not significantly correlated with any SPRs that produced auditory feedback. Together, these findings suggest that the generation of auditory feedback plays a critical role in the spontaneous rate at which participants engage in rhythmic motor actions, more so than the biomechanical constraints of effector systems.