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Musical rhythm and reading development: does beat processing matter?
Author(s) -
OzernovPalchik Ola,
Patel Aniruddh D.
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
annals of the new york academy of sciences
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.712
H-Index - 248
eISSN - 1749-6632
pISSN - 0077-8923
DOI - 10.1111/nyas.13853
Subject(s) - rhythm , beat (acoustics) , reading (process) , speech recognition , psychology , cognitive psychology , audio signal processing , speech processing , salient , musical , computer science , communication , linguistics , artificial intelligence , audio signal , art , philosophy , physics , speech coding , acoustics , aesthetics , visual arts
There is mounting evidence for links between musical rhythm processing and reading‐related cognitive skills, such as phonological awareness. This may be because music and speech are rhythmic: both involve processing complex sound sequences with systematic patterns of timing, accent, and grouping. Yet, there is a salient difference between musical and speech rhythm: musical rhythm is often beat‐based (based on an underlying grid of equal time intervals), while speech rhythm is not. Thus, the role of beat‐based processing in the reading–rhythm relationship is not clear. Is there is a distinct relation between beat‐based processing mechanisms and reading‐related language skills, or is the rhythm–reading link entirely due to shared mechanisms for processing nonbeat‐based aspects of temporal structure? We discuss recent evidence for a distinct link between beat‐based processing and early reading abilities in young children, and suggest experimental designs that would allow one to further methodically investigate this relationship. We propose that beat‐based processing taps into a listener's ability to use rich contextual regularities to form predictions, a skill important for reading development.