Title: Experience-Dependent Effects in Unimanual and Bimanual Reaction Time Tasks in Musicians
Abstract: Engaging in musical training has been shown to result in long-term cognitive benefits. The authors examined whether basic cognitive-motor processes differ in people with extensive musical training and in nonmusicians. Musicians (n = 20) and nonmusicians (n = 20) performed a simple reaction time (RT) task under unimanual and bimanual conditions. Musicians' RTs were faster overall than were those of nonmusicians, and those who began their musical training at an earlier age (around age 7-8 years, on average) exhibited a larger bimanual cost than did those who began later (around 12 years, on average). The authors conclude that experience-dependent changes associated with musical training can result in greater efficacy of interhemispheric connections if those changes occur during certain critical periods of brain development.
Publication Year: 2007
Publication Date: 2007-01-01
Language: en
Type: article
Indexed In: ['crossref', 'pubmed']
Access and Citation
Cited By Count: 53
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