Time-oriented attention improves accuracy in a paced finger tapping task

Versaci, Leonardo; Laje, Rodrigo · 2021 · Crossref

DOI: 10.1101/2021.04.16.440197

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Summary

This study investigates whether directing attention specifically to the temporal aspects of a paced finger tapping task improves sensorimotor synchronization performance. While finger tapping is widely used to study time processing, previous research often treated the task as automatic or used dual-task paradigms that diverted attention away from the primary task. The authors hypothesized that "time-oriented attention" would enhance both steady-state accuracy and resynchronization efficiency following temporal perturbations. The experiment involved 44 right-handed musicians who performed a paced finger tapping task synchronized with auditory metronome beeps. The design was a full-factorial experiment manipulating three factors: Attention level (NORMAL vs. HIGH, between-subjects), Auditory Feedback (With vs. Without, within-subjects), and Perturbation Sign (±60 ms step-change in interstimulus interval, within-subjects). In the HIGH attention condition, subjects were instructed to switch tapping sensors immediately upon perceiving the tempo change, thereby focusing attention on the temporal structure of the stimulus sequence. Behavioral data included mean asynchrony (MA) and standard deviation (SD) of taps relative to stimuli. Additionally, 22 participants underwent EEG recording to measure auditory event-related potentials (ERPs) and reported subjective mental workload. The authors developed a novel algorithm to isolate auditory stimulus-related ERPs from overlapping somatosensory response artifacts. The results demonstrated that time-oriented attention significantly improved synchronization accuracy. In the pre-perturbation steady state, the HIGH attention condition produced a mean asynchrony significantly closer to zero compared to the NORMAL condition, indicating better timing precision. Although auditory feedback showed a similar trend toward improved accuracy, its effect was not statistically significant. Attention also increased resynchronization efficiency after tempo perturbations, allowing subjects to recover synchronization more effectively. Electrophysiological data supported the behavioral findings: auditory ERPs in the HIGH attention condition showed significant modulation in the 110–250 ms window, consistent with increased attentional engagement. Furthermore, subjective reports indicated higher mental workload in the HIGH attention condition, confirming that the manipulation successfully increased cognitive effort. These findings challenge the view that paced finger tapping is a purely automatic behavior independent of attention. The study establishes that explicitly orienting attention to temporal features enhances performance accuracy and recovery from perturbations. This implies that attention is a critical variable in sensorimotor synchronization tasks and should be controlled for in future experimental designs. The results also provide a methodological advance by offering a technique to isolate auditory ERPs in motor tasks, facilitating further neurophysiological investigation into the mechanisms of time processing and attention.

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• temporal