Tapping to hip-hop: Effects of cognitive load, arousal, and musical meter on time experiences

<p>(Abstract) Experiences of time vary intra- and interindividually, depending on factors&nbsp;such as attentional resource allocation and arousal. Music as a temporal art that&nbsp;is structured by multiple temporal layers is ideal for investigating human time&nbsp;experiences. The current study used examples of hip-hop music that varied in&nbsp;arousal but were constant in tempo. Participants judged the passage of time to&nbsp;be quicker when cognitive load was high in a dual-task condition, and&nbsp;perceived duration to be shorter when performing a concurrent motor task&nbsp;(tapping along with the music). Perceived musical arousal did not affect&nbsp;subjective time. Attending to a higher metrical level by tapping with half notes&nbsp;resulted in shorter duration estimates and a quicker passage of time, compared&nbsp;to tapping with eighth notes of the same music. Results were not influenced by&nbsp;spontaneous motor tempo, musical expertise, preference or familiarity with the&nbsp;music. Taken together, these findings indicate consistent effects of cognitive&nbsp;load and attention to meter on time experiences.</p>