Commentary: A Tablet-Based Assessment of Rhythmic Ability

Mobile version of the Battery for the Assessment of Auditory Sensorimotor and Timing Abilities (BAASTA): Implementation and adult norms

“…This solution benefits from the high resolution of the recorded auditory signal, affords high temporal precision (≤1ms), is deviceindependent (for a similar web-based implementation, see also Anglada-Tort et al, 2022), and does not require prior calibration. A previous comparison study showed that this tablet version of BAASTA can successfully replicate the results obtained with paced tapping on a lab computer (Zagala et al, 2021). Despite these advantages, however, one of the shortcomings of relying on auditory recordings is the sensitivity of the measurement to ambient noise.…”

“…As tablet devices are not precise measurement tools by design, we paid particular attention that the recording of unpaced and paced tapping timing complies with the highest lab standards. Timing inaccuracy in tapping tasks on tablet can arise from a delay in the audio output, the temporal uncertainty arising from the sampling rate of touch detection, and the processing delay between the touch detection and the recording of a tap (Zagala et al, 2021). These shortcomings are mostly due to the precision of the device touchscreen (sampling rate between 60 and 240 Hz) which is much coarser than lab measurements (1000 Hz or more).…”

“…Therefore, the objective of the current study is two-fold. Given the aforementioned limitations of mobile devices to record rhythmic performance, we first present a new solution, implementing BAASTA on a tablet device that ensures lab-comparable high accuracy and precision (Zagala et al, 2021). A prototype of this BAASTA tablet version was already used in several prior studies in healthy adults, children, and clinical populations (Bégel et al, 2018(Bégel et al, , 2022Dauvergne et al, 2018;Puyjarinet et al, 2017Puyjarinet et al, , 2019.…”

“…The battery is sensitive to individual differences in timing and rhythm abilities. It can distinguish between individuals with and without musical training or informal music experience (Dalla Bella et al, 2024), as well as impaired rhythm perception and performance in healthy and patient populations (e.g., Bégel et al, 2017, 2022; Benoit et al, 2014; Dalla Bella, Farrugia, et al, 2017; Falk et al, 2015; Fiveash et al, 2022; Hidalgo et al, 2021; Oschkinat et al, 2022; Puyjarinet et al, 2017, 2022; Verga et al, 2021; Zagala et al, 2021). Hence, the battery can serve as a screening tool for rhythm disorders, and pave the way to individualized rhythm-based interventions (Dalla Bella et al, 2018).…”

Rhythmic serious games as an inclusive tool for music‐based interventions

“…In a previous study, 15 We tested motor performance (i.e., motor variability) in three different domains, using tests that showed sensitivity to individual differences in this patient population. 74 Rhythmic motor performance was assessed in the orofacial domain by asking patients to perform an oral diadochokinesis task (i.e., repeat the tri-syllable pseudoword pataka for 30 s), tapping to a rhythmic stimulus (task taken from the BAASTA battery on tablet 31,86 ), and walking along a computerized walkway at their preferred rate, for a distance of 8 m. Rhythm perception was also assessed with the Beat Alignment Test (BAT; 87 in BAASTA 26 ). In this test, the patients judged whether a sequence of tones was aligned or not with the beat of short musical excerpts.…”