Haskins Publications

Number	1376
Year	2005
Drawer	25
Entry Date	02/11/2008
Authors	Keller, P.E. & Repp, B.H.
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Publication	Psychological Research, 2005, V. 69, pp. 292-309.
url	http://www.haskins.yale.edu/Reprints/HL1376.pdf
Abstract	Three experiments investigated whether adding metric (higher-order, periodic) structure to tone sequences stabilizes syncopated finger tapping. Participants tapped in antiphase with metronomic tone sequences in which accents - produced by sounding two tones simultaneously -occurred regularly every two, three, or four tones (metric), occurred unpredictably (irregular), occurred on every tone (heavy beat), or were absent (light beat). Tap timing variability, although commensurate with metric and light beat sequences, was lower with metric than with heavy beat and irregular sequences even when the instructions specified using metric grouping in all conditions. Higher-order periodic fluctuations (delays) in tap timing - found only in metric conditions - were associated with low overall tap timing variability, suggesting that a regularly applied, meter-based phase-resetting mechanism stabilizes syncopation.
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