Audiovisual integration of rhythm in musicians and dancers.

Music training is associated with better beat processing in the auditory modality. However, it is unknown how rhythmic training that emphasizes visual rhythms, such as dance training, might affect beat processing, nor whether training effects in general are modality specific. Here we examined how music and dance training interacted with modality during audiovisual integration and synchronization to auditory and visual isochronous sequences. In two experiments, musicians, dancers, and controls completed an audiovisual integration task and an audiovisual target-distractor synchronization task using dynamic visual stimuli (a bouncing figure). The groups performed similarly on the audiovisual integration tasks (Experiments 1 and 2). However, in the finger-tapping synchronization task (Experiment 1), musicians were more influenced by auditory distractors when synchronizing to visual sequences, while dancers were more influenced by visual distractors when synchronizing to auditory sequences. When participants synchronized with whole-body movements instead of finger-tapping (Experiment 2), all groups were more influenced by the visual distractor than the auditory distractor. Taken together, this study highlights how training is associated with audiovisual processing, and how different types of visual rhythmic stimuli and different movements alter beat perception and production outcome measures. Implications for the modality appropriateness hypothesis are discussed.

Investigating the relationships between temporal and spatial ratio estimation and magnitude discrimination using structural equation modeling: Evidence for a common ratio processing system.

Humans perceive ratios of spatial and temporal magnitudes, such as length and duration. Previous studies have shown that spatial ratios may be processed by a common ratio processing system. The aim of the current study was to determine whether ratio processing is a domain-general ability and consequently involves common processing of temporal and spatial magnitudes. Two hundred seventy-five participants completed a battery of spatial and temporal ratio estimation and magnitude discrimination tasks online. Structural equation modeling was used to analyze the relationship between ratio processing across domains while controlling for absolute magnitude discrimination ability. The four-factor higher order model, consisting of spatial and temporal magnitude and ratio processing latent variables, showed adequate local and global fit, χ²(44) = 41.41, p = .626, root mean square error of approximation = .000. We found a significant relationship (r = .63) between spatial and temporal ratio processing, suggesting that ratio processing may be a domain-general ability. Additionally, absolute magnitude processing explained a large part (60-66%) of the variance in both spatial and temporal ratio processing factors. Overall, findings suggest that representation of spatial and temporal ratios is highly related and points toward a common ratio processing mechanism across different types of magnitudes. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

Numeracy and COVID-19: examining interrelationships between numeracy, health numeracy and behaviour.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, people across the globe have been exposed to large amounts of statistical data. Previous studies have shown that individuals' mathematical understanding of health-related information affects their attitudes and behaviours. Here, we investigate the relation between (i) basic numeracy, (ii) COVID-19 health numeracy, and (iii) COVID-19 health-related attitudes and behaviours. An online survey measuring these three variables was distributed in Canada, the United States (US) and the United Kingdom (UK) (n = 2032). In line with predictions, basic numeracy was positively related to COVID-19 health numeracy. However, predictions, neither basic numeracy nor COVID-19 health numeracy was related to COVID-19 health-related attitudes and behaviours (e.g. follow experts' recommendations on social distancing, wearing masks etc.). Multi-group analysis was used to investigate mean differences and differences in the strength of the correlation across countries. Results indicate there were no between-country differences in the correlations between the main constructs but there were between-country differences in latent means. Overall, results suggest that while basic numeracy is related to one's understanding of data about COVID-19, better numeracy alone is not enough to influence a population's health-related attitudes about disease severity and to increase the likelihood of following public health advice.