A Study of Rhythmic Ability and Movement Performance

Abstract

This study was designed to investigate selected spatial and temporal characteristics of movement. Forty-one subjects were administered the rhythm test of the Drake Musical Aptitude Tests. From the resulting distribution of scores, 10 subjects with a high level and 10 subjects with a low level of rhythmic ability were filmed while performing a simple rhythmic movement task. The task, done to a fixed metronomic rate of 66 beats/minute, consisted of a forward lunge in which the arm was swung forward and upward until the hand was directly in line with a target. The subject had to stop the motion of her arm in such a position that her hand was in line with the target on every other beat of the metronome, and recover to a starting position on the alternate beats. The subjects responded to eight beats while standing in place and to eight while responding in the described manner. The movement task was recorded on film; deviations in the time and space at the moment of the stimulus were estimated in a frame-by-frame analysis of the film. An analysis of variance of time and space scores was made using 9 subjects in the low group and 10 subjects in the high group. It was concluded that the true means of the absolute deviations in time and space of high and low performers on the Drake Rhythm Test were the same.