Computational modeling of rhythmic expectations: Perspectives, pitfalls, and prospects

PLoS Computational Biology, vol. 21, pp. e1013798

Abstract

Rhythmic structure enables precise temporal expectations that are essential to human communication, including speech and music. Computational models have been developed to account for how humans perceive, produce, and learn rhythmic sequences. However, it is unclear how different types of models relate to each other and how they can be evaluated. In this review and perspective, we discuss how three major classes of models-entrainment, probabilistic, and timekeeper models-have been used to study rhythmic expectations. We critically assess each model class in terms of its level of explanation, the rhythmic behaviors it captures, its ability to account for learning and enculturation, and its ability to integrate other features, such as pitch. We show that entrainment, probabilistic, and timekeeper models differ substantially in the aspects of rhythmic expectations they can capture. To move the field forward, we propose that model comparison and integration are crucial. We identify key challenges to this effort, such as the varying nature of the input and output signals and divergent modeling goals. To address these challenges, we arrive at several practical recommendations: to equate input and output signals when comparing models, to consider several model outcomes beyond goodness-of-fit measures in model evaluation, to use model-integration efforts to inform theory building, and to make code and data openly accessible. Ultimately, understanding how models of rhythmic expectations relate, and how features in these models account for behavioral, neural, and cognitive aspects of rhythmic expectations, will deepen our understanding of a core aspect of human behavior.

Authors 9

1. Atser Damsma corresponding

   Amsterdam University of the Arts · University of Amsterdam

   Affiliation as printed

   Conservatorium van Amsterdam, Amsterdam University of the Arts, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

   Music Cognition Group, Institute for Logic, Language, and Computation, Amsterdam Brain and Cognition, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

2. Jonathan J. Cannon

   McMaster University

   Affiliation as printed

   Department of Psychology, Neuroscience & Behaviour, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada

3. Lauren Fink

   McMaster University

   Affiliation as printed

   Department of Psychology, Neuroscience & Behaviour, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada

4. Keith B. Doelling

   Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique · Inserm · Institut Pasteur · Université Paris Cité · Fondation Pour l'Audition · Institut de l'Audition

   Affiliation as printed

   Université Paris Cité, Institut Pasteur, AP-HP, INSERM, CNRS, Fondation Pour l'Audition, Institut de l'Audition, IHU reConnect, Paris, France

5. Jessica Adrienne Grahn

   Western University

   Affiliation as printed

   Department of Psychology & Centre for Brain and Mind, Western University, London, Ontario, Canada

6. Henkjan Honing

   University of Amsterdam

   Affiliation as printed

   Music Cognition Group, Institute for Logic, Language, and Computation, Amsterdam Brain and Cognition, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

7. Thomas M. Kaplan

   Queen Mary University of London · William Harvey Research Institute

   Affiliation as printed

   Barts Biomedical Research Centre, National Institute of Health and Care Research, Queen Mary University of London, London, United Kingdom

   William Harvey Research Institute, Barts and the London Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, Queen Mary University of London, London, United Kingdom

8. Edward W. Large

   University of Connecticut

   Affiliation as printed

   Center for the Ecological Study of Perception and Action, Department of Psychological Sciences and Department of Physics, University of Connecticut, Storrs, Connecticut, United States of America

9. Fleur L. Bouwer corresponding Aachen Cognitive Psychology Unit Institute of Psychology and Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition

   Leiden University

   Affiliation as printed

   Cognitive Psychology Unit, Institute of Psychology & Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition, Leiden University, Leiden, The Netherlands