Background sounds, arousal, and the pace of behavior: A psychophysiological study
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1
Hiroshima University, Graduate School of Integrated Arts and Sciences, Japan
Aims: Hearing music with a fast tempo in the background has been shown to increase the pace of motor behavior. One of the possible underlying mechanisms is that performance increases because individuals’ arousal increases when a larger number of sounds are presented per unit time than when a smaller number of sounds are presented. We tested this hypothesis by assessing psychophysiological measures of arousal and the pace of behavior in an experiment in which the regularity of rhythm was manipulated while the number of sounds per unit time was kept constant. Method: Thirty-two university students were asked to perform a self-paced line tracing task while hearing a sound sequence in the background. There were four conditions, in which the tempo of sound sequence (30 vs. 120 beats per minute) and the regularity of rhythm (regular vs. irregular) were manipulated orthogonally. The total alpha-band power of electroencephalogram (EEG), heart rates, and skin conductance levels were recorded during a rest period before performing the task. The length of the line that was completed by participants in 110 seconds was used as an index of behavioral pace (i.e., the longer the line completed, the faster the pace). Results: When a larger number of sounds were presented per unit time, the total EEG power of low alpha band (8.0-10.5 Hz) decreased at the frontal sites, regardless of the regularity of rhythm. Although no differences were found for autonomic measures of arousal, the EEG results indicate that temporally denser sounds increase listeners’ levels of arousal. However, the behavioral pace of participants increased only when the sound sequence involved a fast tempo and a regular rhythm. Conclusions: The results suggest that increased behavioral pace does not directly reflect increased arousal, and that the regularity of rhythm is an important factor determining behavioral pace.
Keywords:
background music,
tempo,
Electroencephalography (EEG),
Autonomic Nervous System,
Arousal
Conference:
ASP2013 - 23rd Annual meeting of the Australasian Society for Psychophysiology, Wollongong, Australia, 20 Nov - 22 Nov, 2013.
Presentation Type:
Poster Presentation
Topic:
Other...
Citation:
Kuribayashi
R and
Nittono
H
(2013). Background sounds, arousal, and the pace of behavior: A psychophysiological study.
Conference Abstract:
ASP2013 - 23rd Annual meeting of the Australasian Society for Psychophysiology.
doi: 10.3389/conf.fnhum.2013.213.00029
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Received:
24 Oct 2013;
Published Online:
05 Nov 2013.
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Correspondence:
Mr. Ryuma Kuribayashi, Hiroshima University, Graduate School of Integrated Arts and Sciences, Higashi-Hiroshima, Hiroshima, 739-8521, Japan, emusion.grooving@gmail.com