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Rocha S, Attaheri A, Ní Choisdealbha Á, Brusini P, Mead N, Olawole-Scott H, Boutris P, Gibbon S, Williams I, Grey C, Alfaro E Oliveira M, Brough C, Flanagan S, Ahmed H, Macrae E, Goswami U. Precursors to infant sensorimotor synchronization to speech and non-speech rhythms: A longitudinal study. Dev Sci 2024:e13483. [PMID: 38470174 DOI: 10.1111/desc.13483] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/24/2022] [Revised: 11/29/2023] [Accepted: 12/13/2023] [Indexed: 03/13/2024]
Abstract
Impaired sensorimotor synchronization (SMS) to acoustic rhythm may be a marker of atypical language development. Here, Motion Capture was used to assess gross motor rhythmic movement at six time points between 5- and 11 months of age. Infants were recorded drumming to acoustic stimuli of varying linguistic and temporal complexity: drumbeats, repeated syllables and nursery rhymes. Here we show, for the first time, developmental change in infants' movement timing in response to auditory stimuli over the first year of life. Longitudinal analyses revealed that whilst infants could not yet reliably synchronize their movement to auditory rhythms, infant spontaneous motor tempo became faster with age, and by 11 months, a subset of infants decelerate from their spontaneous motor tempo, which better accords with the incoming tempo. Further, infants became more regular drummers with age, with marked decreases in the variability of spontaneous motor tempo and variability in response to drumbeats. This latter effect was subdued in response to linguistic stimuli. The current work lays the foundation for using individual differences in precursors of SMS in infancy to predict later language outcomes. RESEARCH HIGHLIGHT: We present the first longitudinal investigation of infant rhythmic movement over the first year of life Whilst infants generally move more quickly and with higher regularity over their first year, by 11 months infants begin to counter this pattern when hearing slower infant-directed song Infant movement is more variable to speech than non-speech stimuli In the context of the larger Cambridge UK BabyRhythm Project, we lay the foundation for rhythmic movement in infancy to predict later language outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sinead Rocha
- Department of Psychology, Centre for Neuroscience in Education, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
- Psychology and Sports Science, Anglia Ruskin University, Cambridge, UK
- Department of Psychology, Goldsmiths, University of London, London, UK
| | - Adam Attaheri
- Department of Psychology, Centre for Neuroscience in Education, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Áine Ní Choisdealbha
- Department of Psychology, Centre for Neuroscience in Education, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Perrine Brusini
- Department of Psychology, Centre for Neuroscience in Education, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
- Institute of Population Health, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK
| | - Natasha Mead
- Department of Psychology, Centre for Neuroscience in Education, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Helen Olawole-Scott
- Department of Psychology, Centre for Neuroscience in Education, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Panagiotis Boutris
- Department of Psychology, Centre for Neuroscience in Education, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Samuel Gibbon
- Department of Psychology, Centre for Neuroscience in Education, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Isabel Williams
- Department of Psychology, Centre for Neuroscience in Education, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Christina Grey
- Department of Psychology, Centre for Neuroscience in Education, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Maria Alfaro E Oliveira
- Department of Psychology, Centre for Neuroscience in Education, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Carmel Brough
- Department of Psychology, Centre for Neuroscience in Education, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Sheila Flanagan
- Department of Psychology, Centre for Neuroscience in Education, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Henna Ahmed
- Department of Psychology, Centre for Neuroscience in Education, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Emma Macrae
- Department of Psychology, Centre for Neuroscience in Education, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Usha Goswami
- Department of Psychology, Centre for Neuroscience in Education, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
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Russo S, Carnovalini F, Calignano G, Arfé B, Rodà A, Valenza E. Linking vestibular, tactile, and somatosensory rhythm perception to language development in infancy. Cognition 2024; 243:105688. [PMID: 38101080 DOI: 10.1016/j.cognition.2023.105688] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/14/2023] [Revised: 11/30/2023] [Accepted: 12/06/2023] [Indexed: 12/17/2023]
Abstract
First experiences with rhythm occur in the womb, with different rhythmic sources being available to the human fetus. Among sensory modalities, vestibular, tactile, and somatosensory perception plays a crucial role in early processing. However, a limited number of studies so far have specifically focused on VTS rhythms in language development. The present work investigated VTS rhythmic abilities and their role in language acquisition through two experiments with 45 infants (21 females, sex assigned at birth; M age = 661.6 days, SD = 192.6) with middle/high socioeconomic status. Specifically, 37 infants from the original sample completed Experiment 1, assessing VTS rhythmic abilities through a vibrotactile tool for music perception. In Experiment 2, linguistic abilities were evaluated in 40 participants from the same cohort, specifically testing phonological and prosodic processing. Discrimination abilities for rhythmic and linguistic stimuli were inferred from changes in pupil diameter to contingent visual stimuli over time, through a Tobii X-60 eye-tracker. The predictive effect of VTS rhythmic abilities on linguistic processing and the developmental changes occurring across ages were explored in the 32 infants who completed both Experiments 1 and 2 by means of generalized, additive and linear, mixed-effect models. Results are discussed in terms of cross-sensory (i.e., haptic to hearing) and cross-domain (i.e., music to language) effects of rhythm on language acquisition, with implications for typical and atypical development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sofia Russo
- Department of Developmental Psychology and Socialization, University of Padua, Padova, Italy.
| | - Filippo Carnovalini
- Department of Department of Information Engineering, University of Padua, Padova, Italy.
| | - Giulia Calignano
- Department of Developmental Psychology and Socialization, University of Padua, Padova, Italy.
| | - Barbara Arfé
- Department of Developmental Psychology and Socialization, University of Padua, Padova, Italy.
| | - Antonio Rodà
- Department of Department of Information Engineering, University of Padua, Padova, Italy.
| | - Eloisa Valenza
- Department of Developmental Psychology and Socialization, University of Padua, Padova, Italy.
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Desbernats A, Martin E, Tallet J. Which factors modulate spontaneous motor tempo? A systematic review of the literature. Front Psychol 2023; 14:1161052. [PMID: 37920737 PMCID: PMC10619865 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1161052] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/07/2023] [Accepted: 08/02/2023] [Indexed: 11/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Intentionally or not, humans produce rhythmic behaviors (e.g., walking, speaking, and clapping). In 1974, Paul Fraisse defined rhythmic behavior as a periodic movement that obeys a temporal program specific to the subject and that depends less on the conditions of the action (p. 47). Among spontaneous rhythms, the spontaneous motor tempo (SMT) corresponds to the tempo at which someone produces movements in the absence of external stimuli, at the most regular, natural, and pleasant rhythm for him/her. However, intra- and inter-individual differences exist in the SMT values. Even if several factors have been suggested to influence the SMT (e.g., the age of participants), we do not yet know which factors actually modulate the value of the SMT. In this context, the objectives of the present systematic review are (1) to characterize the range of SMT values found in the literature in healthy human adults and (2) to identify all the factors modulating the SMT values in humans. Our results highlight that (1) the reference value of SMT is far from being a common value of 600 ms in healthy human adults, but a range of SMT values exists, and (2) many factors modulate the SMT values. We discuss our results in terms of intrinsic factors (in relation to personal characteristics) and extrinsic factors (in relation to environmental characteristics). Recommendations are proposed to assess the SMT in future research and in rehabilitative, educative, and sport interventions involving rhythmic behaviors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anaïs Desbernats
- ToNIC, Toulouse NeuroImaging Center, Université de Toulouse, Inserm, UPS, Toulouse, France
| | | | - Jessica Tallet
- ToNIC, Toulouse NeuroImaging Center, Université de Toulouse, Inserm, UPS, Toulouse, France
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Laudanska Z, López Pérez D, Kozioł A, Radkowska A, Babis K, Malinowska-Korczak A, Tomalski P. Longitudinal changes in infants' rhythmic arm movements during rattle-shaking play with mothers. Front Psychol 2022; 13:896319. [PMID: 36337572 PMCID: PMC9634176 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.896319] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/14/2022] [Accepted: 10/04/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
From early on, infants produce a variety of rhythmic behaviors—an ability that likely supports later social communication. However, it is unclear, how this rhythmic motor production changes with age. Here, we investigated the coupling between infants' arm movements across the first year of life in a social context of a rattle-shaking play with their mothers. Through longitudinal measurements at 4, 6, 9, and 12 months of age using wearable motion trackers placed on infants' arms, we show that infants (N = 40) are similarly motivated to attempt rattle-shaking across the first year of life. However, with age, they make more rattling movements with an increased frequency. Their left and right arm movements become more coupled during rattle-shaking, as shown by an increase in wavelet coherence. Infants produced more rattling movements when they were rattling alone than when their mothers were rattling or singing simultaneously. There were no differences between infants' individual and social rattling in between-arms coherence. Our results may help to understand rhythmic arm movements as precursors of motor social coordination.
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Yu L, Todoriki K, Myowa M. From spontaneous rhythmic engagement to joint drumming: A gradual development of flexible coordination at approximately 24 months of age. Front Psychol 2022; 13:907834. [PMID: 36248563 PMCID: PMC9558294 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.907834] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2022] [Accepted: 09/13/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Humans have a flexible and accurate ability to coordinate their movement in time with external rhythms. However, it remains unclear when and how, during their development, human children acquire the ability to adjust tempo and control the timing of their movement toward others. A previous study suggested that such self-regulation of coordination develops at around 18 and 30 months after birth. In this study, we investigated the performance of 24-month-old children and compared their data with those of 18- and 30-month-olds provided in our previous study. In the joint-drumming task, each child was enticed to drum under four conditions [partner: mother or robot; speed: 400 or 600 ms inter-stimulus-interval (ISI)]. The most pivotal test condition was the 600 ms ISI speed condition (slower than children’s spontaneous motor tempo in these age groups). We found that from the age of 24 months, children try to slow down their drumming tempo toward the 600 ms ISI speed condition, regardless of the drumming partner. On the other hand, significant timing control toward the onset of the 600 ms ISI condition was observed from the age of 30 months. This implies that both motor and cognitive mechanisms are required for flexible tempo adjustment and accurate synchronization and that these develop gradually among 18-, 24-, and 30-month-olds.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lira Yu
- Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Meguro, Japan
- *Correspondence: Lira Yu,
| | - Kaho Todoriki
- Graduate School of Education, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
| | - Masako Myowa
- Graduate School of Education, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
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Frischen U, Degé F, Schwarzer G. The relation between rhythm processing and cognitive abilities during child development: The role of prediction. Front Psychol 2022; 13:920513. [PMID: 36211925 PMCID: PMC9539453 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.920513] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/14/2022] [Accepted: 09/02/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Rhythm and meter are central elements of music. From the very beginning, children are responsive to rhythms and acquire increasingly complex rhythmic skills over the course of development. Previous research has shown that the processing of musical rhythm is not only related to children’s music-specific responses but also to their cognitive abilities outside the domain of music. However, despite a lot of research on that topic, the connections and underlying mechanisms involved in such relation are still unclear in some respects. In this article, we aim at analyzing the relation between rhythmic and cognitive-motor abilities during childhood and at providing a new hypothesis about this relation. We consider whether predictive processing may be involved in the relation between rhythmic and various cognitive abilities and hypothesize that prediction as a cross-domain process is a central mechanism building a bridge between rhythm processing and cognitive-motor abilities. Further empirical studies focusing on rhythm processing and cognitive-motor abilities are needed to precisely investigate the links between rhythmic, predictive, and cognitive processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ulrike Frischen
- Department of Music, University of Oldenburg, Oldenburg, Germany
- *Correspondence: Ulrike Frischen,
| | - Franziska Degé
- Music Department, Max Planck Institute for Empirical Aesthetics, Frankfurt, Germany
| | - Gudrun Schwarzer
- Department of Developmental Psychology, Faculty of Psychology and Sports Science, University of Giessen, Giessen, Germany
- Gudrun Schwarzer,
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Rocha S, Addyman C. Assessing Sensorimotor Synchronisation in Toddlers Using the Lookit Online Experiment Platform and Automated Movement Extraction. Front Psychol 2022; 13:897230. [PMID: 35846621 PMCID: PMC9282044 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.897230] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2022] [Accepted: 06/06/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Adapting gross motor movement to match the tempo of auditory rhythmic stimulation (sensorimotor synchronisation; SMS) is a complex skill with a long developmental trajectory. Drumming tasks have previously been employed with infants and young children to measure the emergence of rhythmic entrainment, and may provide a tool for identification of those with atypical rhythm perception and production. Here we describe a new protocol for measuring infant rhythmic movement that can be employed at scale. In the current study, 50 two-year-olds drummed along with the audiovisual presentation of four steady rhythms, using videos of isochronous drumming at 400, 500, 600, and 700 ms IOI, and provided their spontaneous motor tempo (SMT) by drumming in silence. Toddlers’ drumming is observed from video recordings made in participants’ own homes, obtained via the Lookit platform for online infant studies. We use OpenPose deep-learning model to generate wireframe estimates of hand and body location for each video. The vertical displacement of the hand was extracted, and the power and frequency of infants’ rhythmic entrainment quantified using Fast Fourier Transforms. We find evidence for age-appropriate tempo-flexibility in our sample. Our results demonstrate the feasibility of a fully digital approach to measuring rhythmic entrainment from within the participant’s home, from early in development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sinead Rocha
- School of Psychology and Sport Science, Anglia Ruskin University, Cambridge, United Kingdom
- Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
- *Correspondence: Sinead Rocha,
| | - Caspar Addyman
- Department of Psychology, Goldsmiths, University of London, London, United Kingdom
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8
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Anticipatory regulation of cardiovascular system on the emergence of auditory-motor interaction in young infants. Exp Brain Res 2022; 240:1661-1671. [PMID: 35507070 DOI: 10.1007/s00221-022-06379-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/15/2021] [Accepted: 04/21/2022] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
Abstract
Humans develop auditory-motor interaction to produce a variety of rhythmic sounds using body movements, which are often produced and amplified with tools, such as drumming. The extended production of sounds allows us to express a wide range of emotions, accompanied by physiological changes. According to previous studies, even young infants enhance movements in response to auditory feedback. However, their exhibition of physiological adaptation on the emergence of auditory-motor interaction is unclear. We investigated the movement and cardiac changes associated with auditory feedback to spontaneous limb movements in 3-month-old infants. The results showed that infants increased the frequency of limb movements inducing auditory feedback, while they exhibited a more regular rhythm of the limb movements. Furthermore, heart rate increase associated with the limb movement was first inhibited immediately after the timing of the auditory feedback, which may reflect sustained attention to the auditory stimuli. Then, through auditory-motor experience, the heart rate increase was inhibited even prior to the auditory feedback, leading to suppression of the peak intensity of the heart rate increase. These findings suggest that young infants regulate the cardiovascular system as well as limb movements in anticipation of the auditory feedback. The anticipatory regulation associated with movement and attentional changes may contribute to reduced cardiovascular stress in auditory-motor interaction, and provide a developmental basis for more sophisticated goal-directed behavior of producing rhythmic sounds.
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Changes in the Complexity of Limb Movements during the First Year of Life across Different Tasks. ENTROPY 2022; 24:e24040552. [PMID: 35455215 PMCID: PMC9028366 DOI: 10.3390/e24040552] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/09/2022] [Revised: 04/08/2022] [Accepted: 04/12/2022] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
Abstract
Infants’ limb movements evolve from disorganized to more selectively coordinated during the first year of life as they learn to navigate and interact with an ever-changing environment more efficiently. However, how these coordination patterns change during the first year of life and across different contexts is unknown. Here, we used wearable motion trackers to study the developmental changes in the complexity of limb movements (arms and legs) at 4, 6, 9 and 12 months of age in two different tasks: rhythmic rattle-shaking and free play. We applied Multidimensional Recurrence Quantification Analysis (MdRQA) to capture the nonlinear changes in infants’ limb complexity. We show that the MdRQA parameters (entropy, recurrence rate and mean line) are task-dependent only at 9 and 12 months of age, with higher values in rattle-shaking than free play. Since rattle-shaking elicits more stable and repetitive limb movements than the free exploration of multiple objects, we interpret our data as reflecting an increase in infants’ motor control that allows for stable body positioning and easier execution of limb movements. Infants’ motor system becomes more stable and flexible with age, allowing for flexible adaptation of behaviors to task demands.
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Tichko P, Kim JC, Large EW. A Dynamical, Radically Embodied, and Ecological Theory of Rhythm Development. Front Psychol 2022; 13:653696. [PMID: 35282203 PMCID: PMC8907845 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.653696] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/15/2021] [Accepted: 01/03/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Musical rhythm abilities-the perception of and coordinated action to the rhythmic structure of music-undergo remarkable change over human development. In the current paper, we introduce a theoretical framework for modeling the development of musical rhythm. The framework, based on Neural Resonance Theory (NRT), explains rhythm development in terms of resonance and attunement, which are formalized using a general theory that includes non-linear resonance and Hebbian plasticity. First, we review the developmental literature on musical rhythm, highlighting several developmental processes related to rhythm perception and action. Next, we offer an exposition of Neural Resonance Theory and argue that elements of the theory are consistent with dynamical, radically embodied (i.e., non-representational) and ecological approaches to cognition and development. We then discuss how dynamical models, implemented as self-organizing networks of neural oscillations with Hebbian plasticity, predict key features of music development. We conclude by illustrating how the notions of dynamical embodiment, resonance, and attunement provide a conceptual language for characterizing musical rhythm development, and, when formalized in physiologically informed dynamical models, provide a theoretical framework for generating testable empirical predictions about musical rhythm development, such as the kinds of native and non-native rhythmic structures infants and children can learn, steady-state evoked potentials to native and non-native musical rhythms, and the effects of short-term (e.g., infant bouncing, infant music classes), long-term (e.g., perceptual narrowing to musical rhythm), and very-long term (e.g., music enculturation, musical training) learning on music perception-action.
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Affiliation(s)
- Parker Tichko
- Department of Music, Northeastern University, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Ji Chul Kim
- Perception, Action, Cognition (PAC) Division, Department of Psychological Sciences, University of Connecticut, Mansfield, CT, United States
| | - Edward W. Large
- Perception, Action, Cognition (PAC) Division, Department of Psychological Sciences, University of Connecticut, Mansfield, CT, United States
- Center for the Ecological Study of Perception and Action (CESPA), Department of Psychological Sciences, University of Connecticut, Mansfield, CT, United States
- Department of Physics, University of Connecticut, Mansfield, CT, United States
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Rocha S, Southgate V, Mareschal D. Rate of infant carrying impacts infant spontaneous motor tempo. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2021; 8:210608. [PMID: 34540253 PMCID: PMC8441131 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.210608] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/10/2021] [Accepted: 08/23/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Rhythm production is a critical component of human interaction, not least forming the basis of our musicality. Infants demonstrate a spontaneous motor tempo (SMT), or natural rate of rhythmic movement. Here, we ask whether infant SMT is influenced by the rate of locomotion infants experience when being carried. Ten-month-old, non-walking infants were tested using a free drumming procedure before and after 10 min of being carried by an experimenter walking at a slower (98 BPM) or faster (138 BPM) than average tempo. We find that infant SMT is differentially impacted by carrying experience dependent on the tempo at which they were carried: infants in the slow-walked group exhibited a slower SMT from pre-test to post-test, while infants in the fast-walked group showed a faster SMT from pre-test to post-test. Heart rate data suggest that this effect is not due to a general change in the state of arousal. We argue that being carried during caregiver locomotion is a predominant experience for infants throughout the first years of life, and as a source of regular, vestibular, information, may at least partially form the basis of their sense of rhythm.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sinead Rocha
- Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 1TN, UK
- Birkbeck University of London, London WC1E 7HX, UK
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