Name:Bree Pratt

School/Affiliation:Mcmaster University

Co-Authors:Bree Pratt, Rameen Shaikh, Bella Chang, Laurel J. Trainor & Daniel J. Cameron

Virtual or In-person:In-person

Short Bio:

As a fourth-year B.Sc. A student in Biology & Psychology, Neuroscience & Behaviour at McMaster University, I’ve been thrilled to explore the intersection of music and neuroscience throughout my undergraduate studies. This research opportunity working in the auditory development lab at Mcmaster University has allowed me to combine a lifelong passion for music with a deep curiosity about how the brain processes rhythm, movement, and emotion.
In the lab, I’ve developed a strong foundation in experimental design, data analysis, and EEG research methods, while learning how scientific inquiry can help us understand the ways music engages the brain and body. As I approach graduation, I’m eager to continue contributing to research that makes an impact while uncovering deeper questions about human nature and the neural mechanisms that shape our experiences. I look forward to pursuing research that deepens our understanding of neural processes and translates into meaningful applications for health, rehabilitation, and human connection.

Abstract:

Why do some rhythms make us tap our feet, while others leave us still? Prior research indicates that syncopation can be important: People report a higher urge to move when listening to rhythms with moderate syncopation compared to rhythms with a low or high degree of syncopation. Moderate syncopation is thought to motivate movement by mixing expectation with surprise, but the neural mechanism underlying this relationship is not fully characterized. Specifically, we do not know whether the urge to move is reflected in the continuous and periodic signals that align with the steady beat of rhythms (steady-state evoked potentials or SSEPs).
Here, we investigate how musical rhythms with low or moderate syncopation influence both SSEPS and the subjective urge to move, and whether SSEPs are related to the subjective urge to move. We used electroencephalography (EEG) to record SSEPs from participants as they listened to rhythms. Participants heard 10 repetitions of 8 unique rhythms (4 low syncopation and 4 moderate syncopation) in a pseudorandom order. After hearing each rhythm, participants rated their urge to move. As expected, participants rated rhythms with moderate syncopation as eliciting a stronger urge to move than rhythms with low syncopation. Preliminary results suggest that beat-aligned neural responses may reflect physical features of the stimulus to a much greater extent than subjective feelings. Further statistical analysis is underway, through which we aim to determine whether neural entrainment (SSEPs) reflects the urge to move to musical rhythms.