A co-tapping partner reduces synchronization variability significantly more at 150 bpm metronome (near children's SMT) than in music or slow bimanual tasks¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study · causal r2 · q3 · i0 negligible
Currency · newest study 2026 · not yet checked against its sources · not reviewed by a person

Subclaims¶

q3 i0 The reduction in synchronization variability from solo to joint tapping was significantly more pronounced in the 150 bpm metronome condition than in the music and 50 bpm bimanual conditions. → Yunhee Kim 2026

Evidence¶

Yunhee Kim 2026¶

Yunhee Kim, Doyeon Chae, Jaehwan Jang, Kyeong Taek Oh, Byeong-Sun Park & Min-gu Kim. (2026). Does tapping in sync reflect cognitive control? Links between sensorimotor synchronization, social context, and executive function in early childhood. npj Science of Learning. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41539-026-00443-5

q3 · i0 · causal · r2

Linear mixed-effects model (REML) on log-transformed DTW scores of 140 preschoolers tapping solo versus with an experimenter. The interaction was significant ("F (1, 1111) = 6.15, p < .05, ηp2 = .006"), with the social benefit "more pronounced in the Metronome condition".

"A significant Task Type × Social Context interaction effect was found, F (1, 1111) = 6.15, p < .05, ηp2 = .006. Specifically, the reduction in DTW when moving from the Solo to the Joint-Tapping condition was more pronounced in the Metronome condition"

Discussion¶

Related Claims¶

• Across all three task types, joint tapping yields modestly but reliably lower synchronization variability than solo tapping in 4–5-year-olds — a broader claim this one bears on
• Rhythmic context dominates synchronization variability: music tapping is far less synchronized than metronome tapping, while the 50 bpm bimanual task does not differ from 150 bpm — related
• Hand asymmetries in synchronization vary by task: left-hand variability is greater in sequential unimanual tasks but slightly reversed in the 50 bpm bimanual task — related
• Slow 50 bpm bimanual tapping in the solo condition is selectively associated with inhibitory control, working memory, and overall EF, though associations do not survive FDR correction — related