Pupil Size and Attention While Tapping to Music
Author Information
Author(s): Connor Spiech, Mikael Hope, Valentin Bégel
Primary Institution: University of Oslo
Hypothesis
Synchronizing to metronomes at one’s preferred motor rate demands fewer cognitive resources and is associated with more efficient allocation of those resources compared to faster and slower rates.
Conclusion
Synchronizing finger taps to metronomes outside of one's preferred rate requires more cognitive effort, as indicated by larger pupil sizes.
Supporting Evidence
- Participants' spontaneous motor tempi spanned from 462 to 1,192 ms.
- Synchronizing taps evoked larger pupil sizes at faster and slower tempi compared to listening.
- Pupillary phase coherence increased while synchronizing compared to listening.
Takeaway
When people tap along to music, they pay more attention when the beat is faster or slower than what they like, which makes their pupils get bigger.
Methodology
Participants tapped along to metronomes at their preferred tempo and at 20% faster and slower rates while their pupil size was recorded.
Limitations
The study did not test the influence of sex and gender due to insufficient sample size.
Participant Demographics
23 participants (10 men, 13 women) with an average age of 28.22 years.
Statistical Information
P-Value
p<0.001
Statistical Significance
p<0.05
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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