Tapping in Synchrony With Beat Enhances Groove Sensation.

Area of Science:

• Auditory Neuroscience
• Cognitive Psychology
• Music Perception

Background:

• The active inference framework posits that the urge to move (groove) during music listening motivates bodily movement to improve rhythmic predictions.
• This theory suggests that engaging in movement should enhance the groove sensation, particularly under conditions of rhythmic uncertainty.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate whether voluntary bodily movement, specifically tapping, modulates the subjective experience of groove (urge-to-move and pleasure) during music listening.
• To explore the neural and behavioral mechanisms underlying the relationship between movement and groove perception.

Main Methods:

• Forty-two participants listened to melodies with varying degrees of syncopation and rated their urge-to-move and pleasure.
• Participants either withheld movement, tapped on the beat (onbeat), or tapped between beats (offbeat).
• Neural activity was measured using electroencephalography (EEG) to assess steady-state auditory evoked potentials, and behavioral entrainment was assessed via intertap interval variability.

Main Results:

• Both onbeat and offbeat tapping significantly increased urge-to-move and pleasure ratings compared to no tapping, especially at low syncopation.
• Onbeat tapping led to increased neural and behavioral entrainment to the musical beat compared to offbeat and no-tapping conditions.
• Measures of entrainment were positively correlated with subjective groove ratings.

Conclusions:

• Tapping, a form of bodily movement, enhances the sensation of groove during music listening.
• The findings suggest that while movement amplifies groove, the underlying mechanism might not align with the predictions of the active inference framework.