Name:Mikayla, Samuel

School/Affiliation:University of Toronto

Co-Authors:Dr. Mark Schmuckler

Virtual or In-person:In-person

Short Bio:

Mikayla Samuel is a PhD student in Psychology at the University of Toronto Scarborough, working under the supervision of Dr. Mark Schmuckler. Her research examines how rhythm perception and movement interact across early development, with a focus on how young children spontaneously adapt their gait to auditory cues. Using motion-capture and gait analysis techniques, Mikayla’s work explores the emergence of auditory-motor entrainment and its implications for sensorimotor coordination and rhythmic skill development.

Abstract:

This study investigated the development of auditory–motor entrainment by examining spontaneous gait adaptation to rhythmic auditory cues in children aged 3–5 years and adults. Participants walked across a pressure-sensitive walkway under five metronome-paced conditions (75%, 87.5%, 100%, 112.5%, and 125% of baseline cadence) without explicit instruction to synchronize. We investigated whether individuals spontaneously modulate gait to auditory tempo and how this ability changes across development.

Significant age-related differences emerged. Five-year-olds modulated cadence and velocity in patterns similar to adults, whereas 3- and 4-year-olds showed less consistent adaptation, especially at slower tempos, where they tended to revert to their natural pace. This asymmetry suggests that accelerating is easier than decelerating for young children, likely due to biomechanical or perceptual constraints. Adults displayed robust tempo-based changes in both temporal and spatial gait parameters; younger children showed weaker temporal modulation and less systematic stride length adjustments.

Across groups, alignment between participants’ walking rate and the metronome became less precise as tempo increased, with participants tending to walk faster than the beat at slow tempos and slower at fast ones, suggesting a pull toward their natural walking rhythm under extreme pacing. Variability analyses revealed that children’s cadence was more inconsistent, highlighting immature internal rhythm generation.

These results demonstrate that auditory–motor entrainment emerges early but continues to refine through childhood. Future work will examine the effects of biomechanical load and the ability to maintain tempo once auditory cues cease to explore how physical and internal factors shape rhythmic stability and motor coordination.