Ears, heads, and eyes: When singers synchronise

2019 ◽  
Vol 72 (9) ◽  
pp. 2272-2287 ◽  
Author(s):  
Caroline Palmer ◽  
Frances Spidle ◽  
Erik Koopmans ◽  
Peter Schubert
Keyword(s):  
Visual Cues ◽  
Natural Frequencies ◽  
Body Movement ◽  
Strong Association ◽  
Music Performance ◽  
Head Movements ◽  
Endogenous Rhythms ◽  
Variable Head ◽  
Onset Asynchrony ◽  
The Relationship

We examined the relationship between endogenous rhythms, auditory and visual cues, and body movement in the temporal coordination of duet singers. Sixteen pairs of experienced vocalists sang a familiar melody in Solo and two Duet conditions. Vocalists sang together in Unison (simultaneously producing identical pitches) and Round Duet conditions (one vocalist, the Follower, producing pitches at an eight-tone delay from their partner, the Leader) while facing Inward (full visual cues) and Outward (reduced visual cues). Larger tempo differences in partners’ spontaneous (temporally unconstrained) Solo performances were associated with larger asynchrony in Duet performances, consistent with coupling predictions for oscillators with similar natural frequencies. Vocalists were slightly but consistently more synchronous in Duets when facing their partner (Inward) than when facing Outward; Unison and Round performances were equally synchronous. The greater difficulty of Rounds production was evidenced in vocalists’ slower performance rates and more variable head movements; Followers directed their head gaze away from their partner and used bobbing head movements to mark the musical beat. The strength of Followers’ head movements corresponded to the amount of tone onset asynchrony with their partners, indicating a strong association between timing and movement under increased attentional and working memory demands in music performance.

scholarly journals Automated Analysis of Body Movement in Emotionally Expressive Piano Performances

2008 ◽  
Vol 26 (2) ◽  
pp. 103-119 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ginevra Castellano ◽  
Marcello Mortillaro ◽  
Antonio Camurri ◽  
Gualtiero Volpe ◽  
Klaus Scherer
Keyword(s):  
Emotional Expression ◽  
Temporal Dynamics ◽  
Body Movement ◽  
Music Performance ◽  
The Body ◽  
Head Movements ◽  
Automated System ◽  
Upper Body ◽  
Musical Score ◽  
Motion Cues

EMOTIONAL EXPRESSION IN MUSIC PERFORMANCE includes important cues arising from the body movement of the musician. This movement is related to both the musical score execution and the emotional intention conveyed. In this experiment, a pianist was asked to play the same excerpt with different emotionally expressive intentions. The aim was to verify whether different expressions could be distinguished based on movement by trying to determine which motion cues were most emotion-sensitive. Analyses were performed via an automated system capable of detecting the temporal profiles of two motion cues: the quantity of motion of the upper body and the velocity of head movements. Results showed that both were sensitive to emotional expression, especially the velocity of head movements. Further, some features conveying information about movement temporal dynamics varied among expressive conditions allowing emotion discrimination. These results are in line with recent theories that underlie the dynamic nature of emotional expression.

scholarly journals Multivariate Approach to Reading Comprehension and Sight-Reading

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michel Cara
Keyword(s):  
Text Comprehension ◽  
Strong Association ◽  
Music Performance ◽  
Principal Component ◽  
Sight Reading ◽  
Multivariate Approach ◽  
Music Reading ◽  
Relevant Factor ◽  
Performance Variables ◽  
The Relationship

This chapter focuses on the study of the relationship between reading of music and verbal texts and it seeks to define an ecological music reading task that allows comparison of musical and verbal domains. Participants were preservice music students who performed different music reading tasks correlated with a verbal text comprehension test. A Principal Component Analysis (PCA), was performed, explaining 91,5% of the variance. The following two axes were defined: one related to reading compression and the other to music performance variables. The relationship between the selected variables in the factorial plane, particularly the strong association between sight-reading and literal comprehension, suggest that sight-reading is a relevant factor with regards to the study of musical and verbal domains.

scholarly journals Does Movement Amplitude of a Co-performer Affect Individual Performance in Musical Synchronization?

2021 ◽  
Vol 4 ◽  
pp. 205920432110317
Author(s):  
Ian D. Colley ◽  
Manuel Varlet ◽  
Jennifer MacRitchie ◽  
Peter E. Keller
Keyword(s):  
Visual Stimulus ◽  
Visual Information ◽  
Visual Cues ◽  
Music Performance ◽  
Individual Performance ◽  
Head Movements ◽  
Interpersonal Coordination ◽  
Movement Amplitude ◽  
Body Movements ◽  
Competing Hypotheses

Interpersonal coordination in musical ensembles often involves multisensory cues, with visual information about body movements supplementing co-performers’ sounds. Previous research on the influence of movement amplitude of a visual stimulus on basic sensorimotor synchronization has shown mixed results. Uninstructed visuomotor synchronization seems to be influenced by amplitude of a visual stimulus, but instructed visuomotor synchronization is not. While music performance presents a special case of visually mediated coordination, involving both uninstructed (spontaneously coordinating ancillary body movements with co-performers) and instructed (producing sound on a beat) forms of synchronization, the underlying mechanisms might also support rhythmic interpersonal coordination in the general population. We asked whether visual cue amplitude would affect nonmusicians’ synchronization of sound and head movements in a musical drumming task designed to be accessible regardless of musical experience. Given the mixed prior results, we considered two competing hypotheses. H1: higher amplitude visual cues will improve synchronization. H2: different amplitude visual cues will have no effect on synchronization. Participants observed a human-derived motion capture avatar with three levels of movement amplitude, or a still image of the avatar, while drumming along to the beat of tempo-changing music. The moving avatars were always timed to match the music. We measured temporal asynchrony (drumming relative to the music), predictive timing, ancillary movement fluctuation, and cross-spectral coherence of ancillary movements between the participant and avatar. The competing hypotheses were tested using conditional equivalence testing. This method involves using a statistical equivalence test in the event that standard hypothesis tests show no differences. Our results showed no statistical differences across visual cues types. Therefore, we conclude that there is not a strong effect of visual stimulus amplitude on instructed synchronization.

scholarly journals Uric Acid and Hypertension: Prognostic Role and Guide for Treatment

2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 448
Author(s):  
Federica Piani ◽  
Arrigo F. G. Cicero ◽  
Claudio Borghi
Keyword(s):  
Clinical Trials ◽  
Uric Acid ◽  
Mendelian Randomization ◽  
Strong Association ◽  
Epidemiological Studies ◽  
Hypertensive Disease ◽  
Genetic Studies ◽  
Lowering Therapy ◽  
The Relationship

The relationship between serum uric acid (SUA) and hypertension has been a subject of increasing interest since the 1870 discovery by Frederick Akbar Mahomed. Several epidemiological studies have shown a strong association between high SUA levels and the presence or the development of hypertension. Genetic analyses have found that xanthine oxidoreductase (XOR) genetic polymorphisms are associated with hypertension. However, genetic studies on urate transporters and Mendelian randomization studies failed to demonstrate a causal relationship between SUA and hypertension. Results from clinical trials on the role of urate-lowering therapy in the management of patients with hypertension are not uniform. Our study sought to analyze the prognostic and therapeutic role of SUA in the hypertensive disease, from uric acid (UA) biology to clinical trials on urate-lowering therapies.

scholarly journals Algorithmic and human prediction of success in human collaboration from visual features

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Martin Saveski ◽  
Edmond Awad ◽  
Iyad Rahwan ◽  
Manuel Cebrian
Keyword(s):  
Machine Learning ◽  
Visual Cues ◽  
Success Factors ◽  
Group Performance ◽  
Learning Algorithms ◽  
Machine Learning Algorithms ◽  
Adventure Game ◽  
Group Success ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Better Than

AbstractAs groups are increasingly taking over individual experts in many tasks, it is ever more important to understand the determinants of group success. In this paper, we study the patterns of group success in Escape The Room, a physical adventure game in which a group is tasked with escaping a maze by collectively solving a series of puzzles. We investigate (1) the characteristics of successful groups, and (2) how accurately humans and machines can spot them from a group photo. The relationship between these two questions is based on the hypothesis that the characteristics of successful groups are encoded by features that can be spotted in their photo. We analyze >43K group photos (one photo per group) taken after groups have completed the game—from which all explicit performance-signaling information has been removed. First, we find that groups that are larger, older and more gender but less age diverse are significantly more likely to escape. Second, we compare humans and off-the-shelf machine learning algorithms at predicting whether a group escaped or not based on the completion photo. We find that individual guesses by humans achieve 58.3% accuracy, better than random, but worse than machines which display 71.6% accuracy. When humans are trained to guess by observing only four labeled photos, their accuracy increases to 64%. However, training humans on more labeled examples (eight or twelve) leads to a slight, but statistically insignificant improvement in accuracy (67.4%). Humans in the best training condition perform on par with two, but worse than three out of the five machine learning algorithms we evaluated. Our work illustrates the potentials and the limitations of machine learning systems in evaluating group performance and identifying success factors based on sparse visual cues.

scholarly journals Effects of Attentional Focus on Motor Performance and Physiology in a Slow-Motion Violin Bow-Control Task: Evidence for the Constrained Action Hypothesis in Bowed String Technique

2021 ◽  
pp. 002242942110347
Author(s):  
Emma Allingham ◽  
Clemens Wöllner
Keyword(s):  
Music Education ◽  
Motor Performance ◽  
Body Movement ◽  
Music Performance ◽  
Arm Movement ◽  
Slow Motion ◽  
Attentional Focus ◽  
Electromyographic Activity ◽  
Constrained Action Hypothesis ◽  
Conscious Thinking

The constrained action hypothesis states that focusing attention on action outcomes rather than body movement improves motor performance. Dexterity of motor control is key to successful music performance, making this a highly relevant topic to music education. We investigated effects of focus of attention (FOA) on motor skill performance and EMG muscle activity in a violin bowing task among experienced and novice upper strings players. Following a pedagogically informed exercise, participants attempted to produce single oscillations of the string at a time under three FOA: internal (on arm movement), external (on sound produced), and somatic (on string resistance). Experienced players’ number of bow slips was significantly reduced under somatic focus relative to internal, although number of successful oscillations was not affected. Triceps electromyographic activity was also significantly lower in somatic compared to internal foci for both expertise groups, consistent with physiological understandings of FOA effects. Participants’ reported thoughts during the experiment provided insight into whether aspects of constrained action may be evident in performers’ conscious thinking. These results provide novel support for the constrained action hypothesis in violin bow control, suggesting a somatic FOA as a promising performance-enhancing strategy for bowed string technique.

Abstract 12707: Chads2 and Chads2vasc Scores Predict the Risk for Left Atrial Thrombus in Patients With Atrial Fibrillation

Circulation ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 130 (suppl_2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Fengpeng Jia ◽  
Minghuan Fu ◽  
Zhiyu Ling ◽  
Suxin Luo ◽  
Jun Gu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Atrial Fibrillation ◽  
Left Atrial ◽  
Strong Association ◽  
Anticoagulation Therapy ◽  
Scoring Systems ◽  
Left Atrial Thrombus ◽  
Atrial Thrombus ◽  
Chads2 Score ◽  
Risk Patients ◽  
The Relationship

Background: The study was to evaluate the value of CHADS2 and CHADS2VASC scores on predicting left atrial (LA) thrombus in the patients with atrial fibrillation (AF). Methods and Results: All the non-valvular AF patients undergoing AF ablation from June 2010 to June 2012 were included and divided into two groups: patients without anticoagulation and with Coumadin anticoagulation for at least 4 weeks. The relationship between CHADS2 and CHADS2VASC scores and LA thrombus as identified on transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) was analyzed prior to ablation. A total of 397 patients underwent pre-ablation TEE: 212 patients without anticoagulation, and 185 with anticoagulation. There were no differences in the CHADS2 and CHADS2VASC scores in the two groups. LA thrombus was present in 15.6% and 5.9% for the patients without anticoagulation and for those with anticoagulation, respectively (p = 0.002). There was a strong association between CHADS2 and LA thrombus, and between CHADS2VASC and LA thrombus in the two groups. No thrombus was identified in patients with CHADS2VASC score of 0 in both groups. However, thrombus was detected in 3.5% of patients with CHADS2 score of 0 in the group without anticoagulation, while no thrombus was present in the ones with anticoagulation. CHADS2VASC score of ≥1 (r=2.03, p = 0.04) was the only factor independently associated with LA thrombus in patients without anticoagulation, while both CHADS2VASC score of ≥2 (r=2.61, p=0.02) and CHADS2 score of ≥2 (r=2.73, p=0.01) were independently associated with LA thrombus. Further analyses showed that CHADS2VASC score was a better predictor for LA thrombus than CHADS2 score in patients without anticoagulation. However, there was no difference between the two scoring systems in predicting LA thrombus in patients with anticoagulation. Conclusions: LA thrombus was associated with CHADS2VASC and CHADS2 scores in non-valvular AF patients without anticoagulation. CHADS2VASC score was a better predictor than CHADS2 score for LA thrombus in patients without anticoagulation. The data suggested that it might be unnecessary to undergo a TEE evaluation for LA thrombus in low risk patients identified by CHADS2VASC score regardless anticoagulation therapy prior to cardioversion or ablation.

The third birth in Great Britain

1988 ◽  
Vol 20 (4) ◽  
pp. 489-496 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert E. Wright ◽  
John F. Ermisch ◽  
P. R. Andrew Hinde ◽  
Heather E. Joshi
Keyword(s):  
Labour Force ◽  
Strong Association ◽  
Labour Force Participation ◽  
Age At First Birth ◽  
Time Varying ◽  
Female Labour ◽  
Subsequent Fertility ◽  
Lower Fertility ◽  
Time Varying Covariates ◽  
The Relationship

SummaryThe relationship between female labour force participation, and other socioeconomic factors, and the probability of having a third birth is examined, using British data collected in the 1980 Women and Employment Survey, by hazard regression modelling with time-varying covariates. The results demonstrate the strong association between demographic factors, e.g. age at first birth and birth interval and subsequent fertility behaviour. Education appears to have little effect. Surprisingly, women who have spent a higher proportion of time as housewives have a lower risk of having a third birth. This finding is in sharp disagreement with the conventional expectation that cumulative labour force participation supports lower fertility. These findings are briefly compared with similar research carried out in Sweden.

Mobilization of the Planet from the Spirit of Self-Intensification

2006 ◽  
Vol 50 (4) ◽  
pp. 36-43 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter Sloterdijk
Keyword(s):  
Critical Theory ◽  
Gilles Deleuze ◽  
Body Movement ◽  
The Body ◽  
Felix Guattari ◽  
Peter Sloterdijk ◽  
First Time ◽  
The Relationship

The articles in this first installment of a series on choreography that considers the relationship between philosophy and dance interrogate conceptions of the body, movement, and language. Translated for the first time into English, the selection by José Gil reads the dancing body as paradoxical through the writings of Gilles Deleuze and Félix Guattari; and the chapter by Peter Sloterdijk examines modernity's impulse toward movement and posits a critical theory of mobilization. An interview with choreographer Hooman Sharifi accompanies a meditation on his recent performance.

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