Mesurer les habiletés de la population générale à percevoir et à se synchroniser à la pulsation musicale avec le Montreal – Beat Alignment Test (M-BAT)

Il existe actuellement de nombreux tests visant à mesurer la capacité à percevoir la pulsation rythmique dans la musique ainsi que l’habileté à synchroniser ses mouvements avec celle-ci. Ces tests présentent toutefois certaines lacunes méthodologiques (longue durée d’administration, différence de stimuli entre les sous-tests, mauvais appariement des conditions). Le Montreal-Beat Alignment Test (M-BAT) a été élaboré afin de palier à ces lacunes et d’offrir une mesure simple et sensible de ces habiletés. Une étude de sensibilité a été menée auprès de 90 participants. Pour la tâche de perception, nous observons une distribution avec une légère asymétrie négative et sans présence d’effet plancher ou plafond. Les performances aux tâches de perception et de synchronisation sont modérément corrélées, suggérant qu’une bonne perception de la pulsation s’accompagne généralement d’une bonne capacité à se synchroniser avec celle-ci. Également, des cas de déficits dans l’une et/ou l’autre de ces habiletés sont rapportés, indiquant la présence de dissociations entre perception et synchronisation à la pulsation musicale.There are currently many tests to measure the abilities to perceive the beat in music and to synchronize its movements with it. These tests, however, have certain methodological shortcomings (long duration of administration, different stimuli between sub-tests, mismatch conditions). The Montreal-Beat Alignment Test (M-BAT) has been developed to overcome these deficiencies and provide a simple and sensitive measurement of these skills. A sensitivity study was conducted with 90 participants. For the task of perception, we see a distribution with a slight negative asymmetry and without the presence of floor or ceiling effect. The performances for the perception and synchronization tasks are moderately correlated, suggesting that a good perception of the pulse is usually accompanied by a good ability to synchronize with it. Also, case deficits in one and/or the other of these skills are reported, indicating the presence of dissociations between perception and synchronization with the musical beat

Enhancement of Pleasure during Spontaneous Dance

Dancing emphasizes the motor expression of emotional experiences. The bodily expression of emotions can modulate the subjective experience of emotions, as when adopting emotion-specific postures and faces. Thus, dancing potentially offers a ground for emotional coping through emotional enhancement and regulation. Here we investigated the emotional responses to music in individuals without any prior dance training while they either freely danced or refrained from movement. Participants were also tested while imitating their own dance movements but in the absence of music as a control condition. Emotional ratings and cardio-respiratory measures were collected following each condition. Dance movements were recorded using motion capture. We found that emotional valence was increased specifically during spontaneous dance of groovy excerpts, compared to both still listening and motor imitation. Furthermore, parasympathetic-related heart rate variability (HRV) increased during dance compared to motor imitation. Nevertheless, subjective and physiological arousal increased during movement production, regardless of whether participants were dancing or imitating. Significant correlations were found between inter-individual differences in the emotions experienced during dance and whole-body acceleration profiles. The combination of movement and music during dance results in a distinct state characterized by acutely heightened pleasure, which is of potential interest for the use of dance in therapeutic settings