Exploring Beat Perception: Multimodal Perspectives and Training Effects

Certain rhythmic sequences spontaneously induce the perception of a beat: a psychologically salient pulse that marks equally spaced points in time. However, individuals vary in beat perception ability. This thesis explores individual variability in beat perception, focusing on how efficiency at different timing levels—intervals, sequences, and beats—affects this ability. It also examines whether training in beat sequence timing in one modality can generalize to beat perception in other modalities or other timing tasks. Chapter 1 reviews the existing literature on three timing levels: single interval timing, non-beat sequence timing, and beat sequence timings, across auditory, visual, and tactile modalities. It also discusses how musical training (i.e., training in beat sequence timing) might generalize to other timing tasks or modalities. Chapter 2 investigates why individuals differ in beat perception ability. The study tests a three-level perceptual hierarchy (duration, sequence, beat) in auditory and visual modalities using a three-alternative forced choice paradigm. The results support the proposed hierarchy in the auditory modality but not in the visual modality, suggesting that rhythm and beat perception vary by modality. Chapter 3 expands on the perceptual hierarchy, incorporating the tactile modality. This study used different visual stimuli (rotating rather than moving objects) and was conducted in person. The results showed that the auditory modality aligns best with the hierarchical structure, with performance in single interval and non-beat sequence tasks influencing beat perception. The visual modality did not follow this hierarchy, while the tactile modality showed partial alignment. Chapter 4 examines whether training in auditory and visual beat sequence timing transfers to other modalities or timing tasks. Inspired by earlier findings that musicians excel across all timing levels and modalities, this study found that training significantly improved performance in the trained task. While there was no observed transfer from auditory to visual modality, visual beat training improved auditory beat perception in some individuals. Additionally, auditory training enhanced tactile beat perception, highlighting interactions between auditory and tactile senses. Chapter 5 provides a broader discussion of the findings from the previous chapters, acknowledges study limitations, and suggests directions for future research.