Comparative approaches for cognitive studies exploring the origin of synchronization of movements to musical rhythms

Abstract

Rhythmic entrainment, or synchronization, to musical rhythm is universally observed in almost all human culture; however, in non-human animals, this kind of behavior has been demonstrated only by some specific species. Thus, exploring the evolutional origin and the psychological substrate for this capability is an attractive research topic. This article reviews recent studies tackling this question and relevant researches, then, introduces a hypothesis explaining the origin of the prominent capability for rhythmic synchronization in humans.