People with similar movement rates improve group performance


Toronto, Feb 10 (IANS): From walking to talking to producing music, different people's movements occur at different speeds but a new study has found that a group can improve its performance by having people with similar movement rates.

"We found that pairs of musicians (pianists) with similar rates of solo music performance are better at synchronising the timing of tone onsets during piano duets than partners with different solo performance rates," said one of the researchers Caroline Palmer, professor at McGill University in Montreal in Canada.

"We think this could extend to interpersonal synchrony in other fields, such as recreational activities like jogging, where health benefits may be greatest when partners are matched for rates,” Palmer noted.

The research team found that solo rates are a stable predictor of coordination between individuals. 

They found no group differences in other factors known to influence coordination, such as years of musical training and age at which pianists started musical training. 

This suggests that solo rates are the only difference in partners' duet coordination between matched and mismatched pairs.

"These findings suggest that coordination of timing with a partner is facilitated by similarity of partners' individual movement speeds," study first author Anna Zamm from McGill University noted.

The study appeared in the Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance.

"Success on group tasks is linked to how well pair members match up -- a bit like rowers in a boat. The boat will move straight ahead if both people are matched in the force with which they row", Palmer explained. 

"It does not matter whether each individual is strong or weak -- it's the match in force that matters," Palmer pointed out.

  

Top Stories


Leave a Comment

Title: People with similar movement rates improve group performance



You have 2000 characters left.

Disclaimer:

Please write your correct name and email address. Kindly do not post any personal, abusive, defamatory, infringing, obscene, indecent, discriminatory or unlawful or similar comments. Daijiworld.com will not be responsible for any defamatory message posted under this article.

Please note that sending false messages to insult, defame, intimidate, mislead or deceive people or to intentionally cause public disorder is punishable under law. It is obligatory on Daijiworld to provide the IP address and other details of senders of such comments, to the authority concerned upon request.

Hence, sending offensive comments using daijiworld will be purely at your own risk, and in no way will Daijiworld.com be held responsible.