The aim of the present study was to investigate if the perception of time is affected by actively attending to different metrical levels in musical rhythmic patterns. In an experiment with a repeated-measures design, musicians and nonmusicians were presented with musical rhythmic patterns played at three different tempi. They synchronized with multiple metrical levels (half notes, quarter notes, eighth notes) of these patterns using a finger-tapping paradigm and listened without tapping. After each trial, stimulus duration was judged using a verbal estimation paradigm. Results show that the metrical level participants synchronized with influenced perceived time: actively attending to a higher metrical level (half notes, longer intertap intervals) led to the shortest time estimations, hence time was experienced as passing more quickly. Listening without tapping led to the longest time estimations. The faster the tempo of the patterns, the longer the time estimation. While there were no differences between musicians and nonmusicians, those participants who tapped more consistently and accurately (as analyzed by circular statistics) estimated durations to be shorter. Thus, attending to different metrical levels in music, by deliberately directing attention and motor activity, affects time perception.

中文翻译：

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音乐中更高韵律水平的感觉运动同步缩短了感知时间

本研究的目的是调查时间感知是否受到积极关注音乐节奏模式中不同韵律水平的影响。在重复测量设计的实验中，向音乐家和非音乐家展示了以三种不同速度演奏的音乐节奏模式。他们使用手指敲击范例与这些模式的多个韵律级别（二分之一音符、四分音符、八分音符）同步，并且无需敲击即可聆听。每次试验后，使用口头估计范式判断刺激持续时间。结果表明，韵律水平的参与者与受影响的感知时间同步：积极参加更高的韵律水平（半音符，更长的敲击间隔）导致最短的时间估计，因此时间过得更快。在不敲击的情况下聆听导致了最长的时间估计。模式的节奏越快，时间估计就越长。虽然音乐家和非音乐家之间没有差异，但那些更一致、更准确（通过循环统计分析）的参与者估计持续时间更短。因此，通过刻意引导注意力和运动活动来关注音乐中不同的韵律水平，会影响时间感知。