Ear differences and delayed auditory feedback: Effect on a simple verbal repetition task and a nonverbal tapping test.

Abstract

Cerebral asymmetry in 2 experiments using dichotic delayed auditory feedback (DAF) and immediate auditory feedback (IAF) was investigated. In Experiment I, 18 male and 18 female right-handed 18-30-yr.-old 5s were presented with DAF and IAF on a simple verbal repetition task. In Experiment II, ear and hand differences were assessed on a tapping test under DAF and IAF in 15 male and 5 female 18-32-yr.-old 5s. The intensity of the DAF at which an error occurred served as the measure of disruption. Right-ear DAF was more disruptive on the verbal activity and left-ear DAF on the tapping task. Findings supported a cerebral laterality explanation. It was noted that individual ear differences were not sufficiently clear-cut to support the use of this DAF method in a clinical context.

Effects of hearing the past, present, or future during music performance

“…Although the use of memorized sequences allows us to eliminate the possibly confounding influence of eye movements during reading that may be influenced by other notated events that are heard in altered feedback, performance from memory necessarily raises the memory load and, perhaps, the degree of disruption. Nevertheless, disruption from altered feedback is not unique to music; the influence of altered feedback disrupts many verbal and manual production tasks (Chase, Harvey, Standfast, Rapin, & Sutton, 1959;Chase, Sutton, & Rapin, 1961;Howell et al, 1983;Roberts & Gregory, 1973), as well as the production of both spontaneous and scripted sequences (Collins & Worthington, 1978;MacKay, 1968). Thus, it seems likely that altered feedback of the kind used here will yield similar effects across other tasks and stimulus materials.…”

The development of music psychology in Britain: A personal perspective.

“…With a graduate student, Lorna Roberts, we asked listeners to adjust the precise timing of brief auditory stimuli presented alternately to the two ears, and concluded that it was the right hemisphere that was involved in rhythm perception (Gregory, Harriman, & Roberts, 1972). A further study using the technique of delayed auditory feedback on rhythmic tapping again suggested right hemisphere involvement (Roberts & Gregory, 1973). At this time the techniques for presenting precisely controlled auditory stimuli required considerable ingenuity.…”