腹部への振動刺激呈示による和太鼓音の主観的評価の向上

－ 近赤外線分光法による脳イメージングと心理評定による検討 －

抄録

This study evaluates a virtual Japanese drum system that delivers the drum sound through headphones along with haptic stimulation via vibrators on the abdomen. Two psychological experiments, which were conducted using subjective ratings and a functional brain imaging method, were performed to investigate the factors necessary to improve the perceived quality of drum sounds. Functional near-infrared spectroscopy was used as a functional brain imaging method to measure the hemodynamic response of the prefrontal cortex. In Experiment 1, participants rated the drum sound with haptic stimulation higher than that without haptic stimulation, irrespective of the quality of the headphones. In Experiment 2, the hemodynamic responses obtained with haptic stimulation were greater than those obtained without haptic stimulation. Furthermore, the effect of haptic stimulation when the participant beat the drum was greater than that when the participant tapped keys to produce the drum sound. The results of these experiments suggest that haptic stimulation improves the perceived quality of drum sounds and enhances the hemodynamic response of the prefrontal cortex to these sounds.