Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Thesis Format

Integrated Article

Degree

Doctor of Philosophy

Program

Psychology

Supervisor

Dr. Jessica Grahn

Abstract

Beat perception – the ability to perceive a steady pulse in music – is nearly ubiquitous in humans, but the neural mechanisms underlying this ability are unknown. A growing number of electroencephalography (EEG) studies suggest that beat perception is related to neural entrainment, a phenomenon in which cyclic changes in the excitability of populations of neurons synchronize with a rhythmic stimulus. However, the relationship between acoustically-driven and entrainment-driven neural activity is unclear. This thesis presents EEG research that extends our understanding neural entrainment is related to beat perception by characterizing, equating, and finally removing the stimulus-driven response in the neural signal isolating the entrainment-driven responses.

Chapter 1 presents a general overview of how neural entrainment may relate to beat perception, the common methods of measuring neural entrainment, and current debates in the literature about how best to account for the stimulus-driven response in the neural signal and also what the neural power spectrum reflects.

Chapter 2 presents research on how perceptual and acoustic factors in auditory stimuli influence neural spectral power in a series of experiments in which beat strength, tone duration, and onset/offset ramp duration were manipulated. The results suggest that both perceptual and acoustic factors influence neural spectral power, and that accounting for the stimulus-driven response in the neural spectrum is more complicated than previously assumed.

Chapter 3 presents research on how power and phase of the neural signal relate to beat strength and beat location while controlling the stimulus-driven response. The results indicated a relationship between neural entrainment and beat strength, and also, between oscillatory phase and beat location.

Chapter 4 presents research on the potential neural mechanisms of beat perception by examining neural activity during a silent immediately after rhythm perception for testing for ongoing, oscillatory activity. The results, although not statistically robust, suggest that entrained activity continues into silence, indicating a relationship between neural entrainment and beat perception.

Chapter 5 presents a general discussion of Chapters 2-4 in the context of the existing literature, limitations, and broader interpretations of how these results relate to future directions in the field.

Summary for Lay Audience

Beat perception – the ability to perceive a steady pulse in music – is nearly ubiquitous in humans, but the neural mechanisms underlying this ability are unknown. A growing body of literature suggests that beat perception is related to neural entrainment: a phenomenon in which cyclic changes in the excitability of populations of neurons synchronize with a rhythmic stimulus. However, the relationship between acoustically-driven and entrainment-driven neural activity is unclear. This thesis presents research designed to characterize, equate, and finally remove the stimulus-driven response in the neural signal to isolate the entrainment-driven responses to extend our understanding of the relationship between neural entrainment and beat perception.

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