Entrainment engagement

Abstract

According to the dynamic attending model of rhythm perception (e.g., Jones, 2001), isochronously spaced time marker onsets automatically capture and focus attention (i.e., entrain attention), and the periodic focusing of attention continues after the time markers discontinue. The purpose of the experiments presented in this dissertation was to examine the automaticity component of the dynamic attending model. Experiments 1 and 2 were designed to examine whether receiving explicit instructions to engage in attending to isochronously spaced time markers (i.e., receiving instructions to count the time markers aloud or silently versus receiving instructions to ignore the time markers) would affect the dynamics of attending following termination of the isochronously spaced time markers. In Experiment 1, reaction time (RT) to an auditory response stimulus (RS) that followed the isochronously spaced time markers served an indirect measure of attention, and in Experiment 2, memory for a temporal interval that followed the isochronously spaced time markers served as an indirect measure of attention. Experiments 3 and 4 were designed to examine whether engaging in a distractor task while isochronously spaced time markers played (i.e., reading either numbers or letters presented while the time markers played) would affect the dynamics of attending following termination of the isochronously spaced time markers. As in Experiment 1, simple RT to a RS that followed the isochronously spaced time markers served as an indirect measure of attention in Experiment 3, and as in Experiment 2, memory for a temporal interval that followed the isochronously spaced time markers served as an indirect measure of attention in Experiment 4. The data from the four experiments, however, did not reveal any clear effects of attending instructions. The results from the experiments are discussed as possible evidence for the automaticity component of the dynamic attending model, but some philosophical, theoretical, and methodological caveats are also discussed.