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bioRxiv · 10.1101/2020.05.16.100040

Back to feedback: aberrant sensorimotor control in music performance under pressure

Furuya, S.·Ishimaru, R.·Oku, T.·Nagata, N.
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Abstract

Precisely timed production of dexterous actions is often destabilized in anxiogenic situations. Previous studies demonstrated that cognitive functions such as attention and working memory as well as autonomic nervous functions are susceptible to induced anxiety in skillful performance while playing sports or musical instruments. However, it is not known whether the degradation of motor functions, sensory perception, or sensorimotor control underlies such a compromise of skillful performance due to psychophysiological distress. Here, we addressed this issue through a series of behavioral experiments, which provided no evidence supporting for detrimental effects of the stress on the perceptual accuracy and precision of the finger movements in pianists. By contrast, after transiently delaying the timing of tone production while playing the piano, the local tempo was abnormally disrupted only under pressure. The results suggest that psychological stress degraded the temporal stability of movement control due to an abnormal increase in sensory feedback gain but not temporal perception or motor precision. A learning experiment further demonstrated that the temporal instability of auditory-motor control under pressure was alleviated after practicing piano while ignoring delayed auditory feedback but not after practicing while compensating for the delayed feedback. Together, these findings suggest an abnormal transition from feedforward to feedback control in expert piano performance in anxiogenic situations, which can be mitigated through specialized sensorimotor training that involves piano practice while volitionally ignoring the artificially delayed provision of auditory feedback.

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Furuya, S., Ishimaru, R., Oku, T., Nagata, N.. 2020-05-17. Back to feedback: aberrant sensorimotor control in music performance under pressure. https://doi.org/10.1101/2020.05.16.100040

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